Writing a pantoum
This
week’s homework for the poetry course I’m doing through Coffee-House Poetry is to write a pantoum. Here’s a
form I’d never heard of. I’m starting to realise how totally ignorant I am when it comes to
poetic form. There are so many and probably changing as I type!
What
is it?
OK, a
pantoum is a series of quatrains. The 2nd & 4th lines
of each quatrain repeat as the 1st & 3rd lines of the
next quatrain. Lines 1 and 3 of quatrain one become lines 2 and 4 of the final
quatrain, but can be reversed. I imagine your mind blowing, exploding all over the place - mine did.
Anyway,
have a google of pantoum (not pantaloons or balloons or phantoms) and read away – there’s
lots out there to discover. Here’s
one I didn’t do for homework.
Our own
tune
We stand
in memories of light,
twisted
notes on the harpsichord,
repetitions
of motions already played,
notes
within notes within notes.
Hear
these songs on the harpsichord,
guided
by our own hands hither,
notes
within notes within notes.
In the
end we compose our own tune,
guided
by our own hands hither.
The fire
still burns for us, but
in the
end we compose our own tune,
play it
out to the world alone.
The fire
still burns within us,
repetitions
of motions long played.
We play it out to the world alone,
and bathe
in memories of light.
Copyright
Vickie Johnstone, November 11, 2020
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for commenting :)