The Pantoum is a classic poetry form, drawn from the Malaysian Pantun via the French. It consists of quatrains (four line stanzas) interlocking until the final stanza, where the second and final lines are the first and third line of the first verse, but in reverse order, so that the first line of the poem also becomes the last. For this reason it is particularly important to have a strong opening line. Unlike the Triolet and the Villanelle (other forms that depend upon repetition and iteration) the Pantoum is not fixed in length and can have more than two rhymes, the number of possible rhymes is equal to the number of quatrains. Pantoums can also consist of rhymed couplets (traditional) OR free verse. The line length is not fixed.
Punctuation and very minor variation can be used to change the meanings of the lines.
Example (with one of my very poor examples, written to highlight, not as a poem per se)
2 quatrains
1, 2, 3, 4 2, 3, 4, 1
1 At cat-napping.
2 Hazy, dreams are
3 reality-resting.
4 Someone screams!
2 Hazy dreams are
3 reality. Resting,
4 someone screams
1 at Cat, napping
3 quatrains
1st quatrain 2nd quatrain last quatrain
1, 2, 3, 4 2, 5, 4, 6 5, 3, 6, 1
1 At cat-napping
2 Hazy dreams,
3 reality resting
4 Someone screams
2 Hazy dreams
5 Nightmare ending.
4 Someone screams
6 “look down”
5 Nightmare ending
3 Reality: Resting,
6 look down
1 At Cat. Napping
4 quatrains
1st quatrain 2nd quatrain 3rd quatrain last quatrain
1, 2, 3, 4 2, 5, 4, 6 5, 7, 6, 8 7, 3, 8, 1
For the mathematically minded
…..n quatrains
Where q is the quatrain you are considering
1st quatrain 2nd quatrain nth quatrain last quatrain
1, 2, 3, 4 2, 2q+1, 2q, 2q+2…..2q-1, 2q+1, 2q, 2q+2…… 2q-1, 3, 2q, 1
The easiest way to write a pantoum (I have found) is to compose your first verse. Cutting and pasting line two and four, compose the second verse with line gaps, then cut and paste Line one and three (in reverse order) to form the last verse with line breaks.
This would appear thus (using my example)
1 At cat napping
2 Hazy dreams
3 Reality resting
4 Someone screams
2 Hazy dreams
xxx
4 Someone screams
xxx
xxx
3 Reality resting
xxx
1 At cat napping
Now we have a framework to work with. With only four lines written, we have the outline of three quatrains. Depending on the number of quatrains (I have found 3 , 4 or 5 to be of optimum length) compose more lines to fit the theme. Oddly, this can be done backwards or forwards. If the reverse composition doesn’t fit, you may want to add another verse. The intervening lines can be punctuated to change the meaning of the repeated line. I found it easier to write the lines, then play with the punctuation afterwards. The longer the composition, the harder it seems to be to bring the poem back round to the original lines!
The completed Pantoum can be formatted with spaces between quatrains, or without.
Here is an example of one of my completed pantoums:
She makes an entry in the secret diary of her skin.
The guilty script kept secure from judging eye,
her inner thoughts are hidden on the page.
Every line a testament to her self-worth and rage:
The guilty script. Kept secure from judging eye,
each word speaks of reality. Fuelled by adrenalin,
every line a testament to her self-worth and rage.
Reaffirmation of her soul. Acknowledgement of her sin.
Each word speaks of reality, fuelled by adrenalin.
Scourging clean the psyche with futile act sublime.
Reaffirmation of her soul, acknowledgement of her sin,
repentance for a crime that’s lost to long gone time.
Scourging clean the psyche with futile act. Sublime,
her inner thoughts are hidden. On the page,
repentance for a crime that’s lost to long gone time,
she makes an entry in the secret diary of her skin.
As you can see, the punctuation changes the meaning of some of the lines.
Here is another of mine.
Catharsis rewind, rerun and replay
The hand that held the knife must stay
The dreams of yesterday a nightmare
A life today is harder just to bear
The hand that held the knife must stay
Sparing what was spared from love
A life today is harder just to bear
Worthlessness is just a vacant stare
Sparing what was spared from love
The dreams of yesterday a nightmare
Worthlessness is just a vacant stare
Catharsis rewind, rerun and replay
This is unpunctuated. Note that although rhymes are present, they are incidental.
The similarity of the themes here is not an indication of the subject matter of pantoums. Early efforts concentrated on Nature.
I make no artistic claims for my creations!
Good luck with it!
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