"A Paradelle for Susan"
by Billy Collins
I remember the quick, nervous bird of your love.
I remember the quick, nervous bird of your love.
Always perched on the thinnest, highest branch.
Always perched on the thinnest, highest branch.
Thinnest love, remember the quick branch.
Always nervous, I perched on your highest bird the.
—
It is time for me to cross the mountain.
It is time for me to cross the mountain.
And find another shore to darken with my pain.
And find another shore to darken with my pain.
Another pain for me to darken the mountain.
And find the time, cross my shore, to with it is to.
—
The weather warm, the handwriting familiar.
The weather warm, the handwriting familiar.
Your letter flies from my hand into the waters below.
Your letter flies from my hand into the waters below.
The familiar waters below my warm hand.
Into handwriting your weather flies you letter the from the.
—
I always cross the highest letter, the thinnest bird.
Below the waters of my warm familiar pain,
Another hand to remember your handwriting.
The weather perched for me on the shore.
Quick, your nervous branch flew from love.
Darken the mountain, time and find was my into it was with to to.
1 comment:
Sure Billy Collins insists that this is the first paradelle ever and he invented the form and no one should take it as anything but a jest, BUT...
English departments stretched across a shallow arc of the South have convinced me that authorial intent is invalid.
Collins has no specific authority in this matter.
(from behind by wall of sarcasm: the form has real potential, though. what if I could get it to work? It's like meeting a virgin or a unicorn: if it bends for me, then I must be special.)
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