In 1998, US Poet Laureate Billy Collins published his first paradelle in The American Scholars. The footnote to his paradelle, “A Paradelle for Susan”, reads:
The paradelle is one of the more demanding French fixed forms, first appearing in the langue d’oc love poetry of the eleventh century. It is a poem of four six-line stanzas in which the first and second lines, as well as the third and fourth lines of the first three stanzas, must be identical. The fifth and sixth lines, which traditionally resolve these stanzas, must use all the words from the preceding lines and only those words. Similarly, the final stanza must use every word from all the preceding stanzas and only those words.
This is all a lie. Collins was beloved for his ability to blend clever wit and tender insight equally into poems that often started with a chuckle and ended with a pang of heartbreak or loss or love for your fellow man. In his invention of the paradelle, he showed some of that wit while poking fun at the pretentions of overly-strict forms of poem, in particular the villanelle (a French verse form consisting of five three-line stanzas and a final quatrain, with the first and third lines of the first stanza repeating alternately in the following stanzas. These two refrain lines form the final couplet in the quatrain. Most famously, Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night). A parody of a villanelle: a paradelle.
A Paradelle for Susan is awful. It was intended to be so. The final line, “Darken the mountain, time and find was my into it was with to to.” speaks for itself. This did not stop intrepid and silly poets everywhere from giving it a whirl, for no other reason than that it’s fun to be a little goofy sometimes, even with something as serious as poetry often is taken. I was even assigned to write one for my creative writing minor in college.
In this parody of a season, and without further ado, I present “A Paradelle for the 2026 Mariners (September 11, 2026)”
(note, separators between stanzas because WordPress is a cruel master)
A promising start, only to be wrecked by their god-foul play within the lines
A promising start only, to be wrecked by their god-foul play within the lines
No joy can be found, no wind in the sails
No joy can be found, no wind in the sails
No foul promising to-be, the wind wrecked their sails.
Can joy be within, found in a play? Start the line: By God, no.
For our two stars, one concussed, another left unable to perform as a hitter.
For our two stars, one concussed, another left unable to perform as a hitter.
The rest of them wait to see, floating by without punch, direction or guts.
The rest of them wait to see, floating by without punch, direction or guts.
Wait, another hitter left concussed by…? One or two of them see stars, a floating punch to our guts,
As for the rest? See: unable to perform without direction.
Well, at least Cole Young hit a triple, and Montes, again, a huge home run out.
Well, at least Cole Young hit a triple, and Montes, again, a huge home run out.
But no highlights from Kirby, four score, and I feel the game (and season) was all but lost. Then, Julio! Then, heartbreak.
But no highlights from Kirby, four score, and I feel the game (and season) was all but lost. Then, Julio! Then, heartbreak.
Cole out at four, no score then. Young Montes, then Julio, the highlights from the game,
Kirby, was lost, hit huge, all but a triple. And again, four home. A lost season. Heartbreak. Well, at least I feel.
God, a foul season. Kirby, promising to start, found the line wrecked.
Cole Young hit four of a triple, at least. And huge Montes, floating to see the stars. Joy!
Julio hit well, another sails, but left the score at home. The game was lost in a play.
I feel concussed by all the unable hitter. Punch out, again and…
Our guts perform within another one or two heartbreak, no rest to be left. A wind without direction to highlight.
By can no, by from then be their wait, them for as lost the the.
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