1.
Cross the forest threshold
covered in squirrel-scattered leaves.
Acorns, chestnuts, cones, and seeds
buried amidst ancient, tangled roots,
resurrected.
2.
Three cats—curled, colored knots
white, tortoiseshell, and grey-striped.
Descendants of tigers, purrs with sharp claws,
gone–save the shadow
pressed against my warmth.
3.
Driftwood, weathered and bleached white,
a venerable creature beached
waiting for the tide.
What stories could it tell of its journeys–
of time and beyond?
4.
Red flowers rise to a rosy sky
Hello, they cry, and wave.
From wooded umbra,
white striped tail rises, too, leaving his scent—
not a perfumed calling card, but a warning.
5.
The clouds grumble,
their secrets burst out and light the sky
Your arm across me in the night, I reach to catch
a glittering fragment before it vanishes—I laugh
and hear an echo from the in-between.
A cadralor for dVerse. I hope I’ve done this correctly. To me, the form seems like a dream, in which you understand it as it goes along, and when you wake you feel something’s been resolved, though you can’t explain how or why. You can read about the form here, but briefly from the journal Gleam:
“the cadralor consists of five short, unrelated, highly-visual stanzas. The fifth stanza acts as the crucible, illuminating the gleaming thread that runs through all the stanzas and bringing them together into a love poem. By “love poem,” we mean that the fifth stanzaic image answers the question: “For what do you yearn?” Please see sample poems and editor statements on the cadralor to get a feel for this new form.”
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
It does seem like a dream, all of it peaceful.
Unfortunately, mine reads like a nightmare.
Thank you, Ken. And uh oh! I’ll read yours soon.
Here I was trying to understand the whole caldrador thing and you come along with this beauty. This does read like a beautiful dream. I love it!
Thank you so much, Dale. 💙
I’m pleased you think so. I’ve been reading Jane’s and trying to figure out the form. I wrote this in stages–images that came to me.
It’s funny. I had started writing a poem for another challenge when the dVerse prompt came in and so I went to see Jane’s (to better understand because frankly, the link Björn offered didn’t help this poet neophyte whatseover), and then yours popped up, clarifying all the more and now? I think I’m going to change my poem and write a cadralor! The things you guys challenge me to do…
Oh yay! I’m glad you’re going to try it. 😀
I needed to see it explained by Gleam and read over Jane’s a few times.
Gleam’s explanation was not easily understood to me! I read Lisa’s and it’s so far different from yours and Jane’s that I am ever more confused. However, I shall try it anyhow.
I didn’t get to Lisa’s yet. Yes, give it a try!
Will do!
What an inspired interpretation of the form, Merril: those moments between waking and dreaming. You have captured the feeling so well here!
Thank you very much, Ingrid!
I wasn’t necessarily describing those moments, but I’m pleased you took it that way.
I love this… to me it feels like a day filled with the images of pleasant domestic life, with a soft crescendo in curling together in the end.
Thank you so much!
that last stanza is Romance with a capital – so touching -but I loved every stanza and these lines delighted
“Red flowers rise to a rosy sky
Hello, they cry, and wave.”
Thank you so much, Laura. I actually saw flowers like that one morning while walking.
(And my husband recently got sprayed by a skunk.) 😀
not so romantic unless the skunk thought so!
Hahaha. Not sure what the skunk was thinking! I was actually thinking of the poem as about cycles of life and death, love and loss.
I absolutely love, love this, Merril 😀 especially admire; “Red flowers rise to a rosy sky
Hello, they cry, and wave. From wooded umbra, white striped tail rises, too, leaving his scent—not a perfumed calling card, but a warning.”💝💝
Thank you so much, Sanaa! 💙
I just replied to Laura that I saw flowers like that on a morning walk–and recently, my husband got sprayed my a skunk! 😀
Hahaha yikes! 😀
🤣
Criss-Crossings in Deep Time. I am so struck by this title and how it informs the write. Daytime criss crosses into night….walking and the reality of a skunk and then the sleeping with one’s love “your arm across me in the night”….our day fades into our night…feelings criss cross across daylight into night and all is well under the protective loving arm of one’s mate. Love criss crosses from the forest to the bed….always within the heart.
Oh, what a lovely comment, Lillian! That’s exactly what I wanted to convey. Thank you so much! 💙
love your vivid images and this works like a dream unfolding to a comfortable domestic awakening.
Thank you very much, Kate!
my pleasure Merril, I enjoy reading your work
😍
Beautiful how these threads are connected to the trees, which I truly see as threads that connect all life forms on land. Wordsmithing favorites:
about the cats (I love this!)
“gone–save the shadow
pressed against my warmth.”
can there be any place more wonderful to reside than:
“wooded umbra”?
and the whole last stanza.
Fabulous poem, Merril.
Thank you, Lisa!
I think the more we learn about trees, the more we do find they connect life forms.
And thank you so much for telling me your favorite lines!
You’re most welcome ❤
I was wondering what form this poem was as I was moving from stanza to stanza. Then the last stanza pulled it all together in a most effective way!
Thank you so much, Liz. I’ve been wanting to try this form, so the dVerse prompt gave me a boost.
You’re welcome, Merril. Given how well this one worked, do you think you’ll write more?
I do think i’ll try it again. Jane explained that the stanzas have too much in common for a true candralor, so I’d like to try it again. It seems a difficult form to get right.
On the other hand, your poem is very effective, so why not deviate a bit from the true? (I love thinking about these questions of form!)
Thank you! I’m pleased how this one turned out, even if it isn’t truly a candralor. 😀
Yes, I think people play with forms all the time–versions of sonnets and such, but this is a new form. If I ever wanted to submit to Gleam, I’d have to write a poem that meets their standards.
I just checked out Gleam’s website. I must say, I’m intrigued by this new form.
Yes, I definitely want to try it again.
So dreamlike in both pacing and images. Yet they all fit together in the end. I love the peaceful feeling. And that painting! I’ve never seen that one before. (K)
Thank you so much, Kerfe. I’m pleased you found this peaceful.
I hadn’t seen the painting before either. Wikimedia Commons seems to have more of his works now, or they’re easier to find.
I’ll have to look.
The first stanza is my favorite, so magical crossing the forest threshold, the last stanza ends the sequence nicely, love the “echo from the in-between.” 😍
Thank you very much, Tricia! The first stanza is one I thought of while out walking, and the ending with the in-between. So, I’m pleased they stand out for you. 💙
Lovely, Merril! Knowing you, you’ve done it correctly! 🙂
Thank you, and thank you for the vote of confidence. 😀
I love that first stanza “squirrel-scattered leaves.”
Thank you so much!
A calador is new to me but there is no poetic form that you can’t do beautifully. This us breathtaking Merril, love the beautiful photo to!💙
Thank you so much, Rene. That is very kind. 💙
It’s actually a painting by Odilon Redon–not like most of the others I’ve shared.
It’s so beautiful and perfect with your own work if art.
😘
I admire how each stanza focuses on a creature, with colors & movements, specialy the second stanza. The last stanza crytallizes what we want to capture – a fragment of the moment in time.
Thank you so much, Grace!
Beautifully done. I do admire the way you tackle new forms
Thank you so much, Derrick!
It is like a dream, in an animal wood. And the painting is just like our woodpecker tree that snapped off in the gale.
Thank you! This form was more difficult than I thought it would be. I like that Redon knew your tree! (Maybe he was there.)
The woodpecker still is!
It is a difficult form. The feedback I had from my poems to Gleam was that the stanzas in the poems they didn’t accept stayed too close to a theme. It’s not enough to look at the same thing from a different angle, you have to try to startle the reader with the change from one stanza to another. That’s why I thought the Oracle would like this form, and she does!
It is difficult. It’s nice that they gave you feedback. I can see where the Oracle would like this. I did visit her for a few words. 😀
They are very enthusiastic about what they’re doing.
That’s a good thing.
It is.
Yes, very dream-like. In fact, I’ve re-read your poem several times. And then out loud, which is beautiful. Another form I never met!
P.S. Did I tell you I’m reading this amazing book about poetry? It’s fiction but much more like non-fiction about a poet. So many wise thoughts of poetry, and rhyming. I highly recommend it to you: The Anthologist, Nicholson Baker
Thank you so much for your comment and the book recommendation! It made me happy that you read this poem several times and out loud. 💙
You capture that dream-like quality beautifully, Merril.
Thank you so much, Lynn!
You’re more than welcome 🙂
😀
Really enjoyed this … stanza #2 my favorite. Cheers.
Thank you so much, Helen!
You touch time and passage so beautifully, many images and thoughts for me.
Thank you very much, Paul.
So very welcome Merrril
I love the way you’ve given a concrete image for each stanza- forest, cats, driftwood, red flowers-and then end with the comfort and joy of seeing these things together.
Thank you so much!
A dreamy dream dreamt.
It’s always an unfolding voyage. I feel that about these words.
Morning is welcome, to revel in the aftermath.
Thank you very much, Resa!
I enjoyed reading this, Merril, particularly the whole of the last stanza 🙂
Thank you so much! 😀
Lovely poem…it is dreamlike! Beautiful!!!
Thank you very much, Linda!
Beautifully done !
Thank you!
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