Chicago Winter Paradelle

A paradelle is a complicated poetic form most suited to obsessive subjects...

The wind whips snow like sand in my face.

The wind whips snow like sand in my face.

Ice on the lake, smooth as glass.

Ice on the lake, smooth as glass.

Glass like sand ice, my face in the lake.

The smooth snow whips on as wind.

 

We duck into doorways and cringe at the cold.

We duck into doorways and cringe at the cold.

Hot tea freezes in my hand.

Hot tea freezes in my hand.

My tea in cold doorways and the duck freezes.

We cringe into hot at hand.

 

Barren branches hanging low.

Barren branches hanging low.

Slush and puddles trap our feet.

Slush and puddles trap our feet.

Barren slush and low hanging feet,

Our branches trap puddles.

 

The glass doorways barren and cringing,

Sand tea freezes into snow.

Duck on the cold trap at the lake,

My feet slush smooth as ice.

My hot face whips in low and hanging puddles.

We hand our branches in like wind.

Reviews

[Phil Roberts]

a strange form of rhyme to me. it reminds me a little of a 12 bar blues. i'm far more familiar with that :)

[DaughterNature]

It does feel a little like that - I hadn't thought of that until you said it! I found the paradelle form in my poetry textbook and decided it looked like a fun challenge. Knowing it fitted best with an obsessive subject, I thought and thought as I walked through the city on my way to work, and then the weather hit me!

[Phil Roberts]

it's certainly appropriate for obsessive topics. i can see times when it would be perfect for that.