Cadralor: Rules of the Form

A poem must adhere to the rules of the form in order to be considered a cadralor, and to be considered for publication in Gleam.

ALL CADRALORE MUST:

1. Contain 5, numbered stanzas of up to 10 lines each;
2. Maintain consistency in number of lines in all stanzas;
3. Maintain approximate consistency in line lengths across all stanzas;
4. Be non-narrative poems; the stanzas should be contextually unrelated. By this we mean that there should be no clear connection of any kind between stanzas. This is very important to this non-narrative poetic form. The reader should be surprised, even shocked, as they move from stanza to stanza. Poems containing narrative threads, such as a recurring image, are not cadralore. This contextual distance between stanzas is one of the most important rules of the form;
5. Be imagist poems. The cadralor is a collection of word images, much like a set of five short clips from different films or five unrelated photographs—as any good imagist poem, they should show, rather than tell. Cadralore avoid explanation;
6. Be vivid poems that avoid cliché;
7. Be comprised of 5 stanzas, each of which can stand alone as a publication-quality poem, whether they are 2-line stanzas or 10-line stanzas;
8. Have a fifth stanza that acts as the crucible, illuminating the gleaming thread that runs through the entire poem, much like an underground river that surfaces at the end of the poem. The fifth stanza acts to pull the poem into coherence as a kind of love poem; by this we mean that the fifth stanza answers the compelling question: “for what do you yearn?”
9. Obviously, the fifth stanza rule does not mean the poem must be a traditional love poem. Yearning takes many forms. It is characteristic of a successful cadralor that it end on a note of hope, rather than hopelessness. Ultimately, the cadralor bends to the positive even while recognizing that sometimes, yearning is pain. The role of the fifth stanza is crucial. It is what determines if a cadralor “sticks the landing.” If it does not, it is unlikely to be accepted;
10. Be a feast for the senses. Good cadralore take us places, whisper to us of other worlds, invite us to experience them, help us feel what it means to be human.

A Note from the Editors

We know these rules of the form are a tall order. It isn’t easy to embody this poetic form. Even the editors took time to find their way inside it, to speak through it. Be willing to submit poems and receive feedback from the editorial staff if we feel your work merits a “revise and resubmit.” On occasion, a submission will be of such stunning quality that we may overlook an approximation of one or more rules of the form, but this is unusual. Stay as close to the form as you can. Please visit the previous issues of Gleam, archived above under “Past Issues,” and also the “Editors’ Cadralore” tab, for examples of poems that successfully embody this thrilling, challenging form.