The Prompt
It’s pantoum day!! I really like writing freeform poems. But I also love the structure of a pantoum. And, as Katie Kay Chelena points out, there’s something whole about them coming full circle. *Update* I went back later and wrote another, so both are here now!
If you’re unfamiliar, a pantoum follows the below pattern. You could repeat it to make it longer.
Stanza 1:
A
B
C
D
Stanza 2:
B
E
D
F
Stanza 3:
E
C
F
A
The Poems
I’m feeling so sad
the sun is out today
I wonder where I’m going
we are the ocean in a drop
the sun is out today
the world is on fire
we are the ocean in a drop
hummingbirds see UV
the world is on fire
I wonder where I’m going
hummingbirds see UV
I’m feeling so sad
I know what love feels like
the universe is infinite
wrestling with rattlesnakes
home is where the soul is
the universe is infinite
tadpoles swim in puddles
home is where the soul is
what lies outside the box
tadpoles swim in puddles
wrestling with rattlesnakes
what lies outside the box
I know what love feels like
Processing
When I’ve written pantoums in the past, they’ve come to me pretty quickly. This first one I wrote along the day. Struggling to think of each line, but also letting the different lines come to me. The hummingbird thing feels like a wrench in the poem, but it’s staying for now.
How about you? What do you connect with in either pantoum? Do you like the structure of it? Are you going to try writing your own pantoum? (I’d love to see it!!
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