1. The Pantoum
By T. Meldrum
April 2009

2. The Pantoum Old Malayan verse form, often sung
Introduced into French poetry in the 19th Century
Structured chain form
Can have any number of stanzas
Revived by Victor Hugo in Les Orientals
Later adopted by English poets

3. Usual Content
Rather like stream of consciousness because of repetition of lines
Works well for memories, inner exploration, dream-like ideas, making a circular statement
Often feels slow, or dreamlike because of the repetition

4. Structure Each line is used twice Lines may be of varying lengths
Each stanza is a quatrain
There is a rhyme scheme of abab in each quatrain
Traditionally, the first two lines of each quatrain present an image or an allusion; the second two lines of each quatrain convey the theme and meaning, and may not have an obvious connection with the first two lines

5. Structure
There can be any number of stanzas, but fewer than four doesn’t allow the pattern to be seen. 9 11 10 12 3
1 first
1 first 2 3 4 5 6 5 7 6 8 9 10

6. Desert Dawning by Anne Johnson
The desert awakes with a whispered sigh.
A jackrabbit scurries through the brush
while far above a raven cries.
Dawn breaks from a frozen hush.
bent on finding food to eat.
Dawn breaks from a frozen hush,
the cold chill of the night retreats.
Bent on finding food to eat,
a roadrunner darts across the sand.
The cold chill of the night retreats
as fiery warmth fills the land.
Notice how it takes two lines to make complete sentence.
A roadrunner darts across the sand
in the shadow of a towering saguaro.
As fiery warmth fills the land
the cactus wren peers at a beetle below.
In the shadow of a towering saguaro
a bevy of quail march by in a line.
The cactus wren peers at a beetle below.
On a sunny rock the lizard reclines.
A bevy of quail march by in a line
while far above a raven cries.
The desert awakes with a whispered sigh.
Notice the use of rhyme and how the lines repeat. There are small changes in some lines.

7. My Own Breath - student pantoum
 I can see my own breath
I can feel my own heart
beating in my own chest
faster than a go-kart
and I can feel my own heart
racing and racing
elapsing laps like pacing
to my complacent distraction
that I could chop like a fraction...
...with my complacent distraction
like a laugh from a cough
I could chop like a fraction
'cause a half is a lot
And like a laugh to a cough
I'm feeling sadly mistaken
in the path that I've taken
I'm feeling sadly mistaken
so my heart gets quick
but in the path that I've taken
I guess it is what it is
So my heart gets quick
Pumping in my own chest
I can see My Own Breath

8. Dragons remind me of you - student poem
The snow falls softly to the ground
As I lie awake and think of you
Remembering when you were always around
From our imaginations, dragons and princesses grew
Memories come flooding in
Fighting and conquering, we would always win
 Memories keep flooding in
We played, we danced, we ran, we sang
Fighting and conquering we would win
Announcing our victory with a mighty loud BANG
Water guns held high in the air
Conquering dragons in their dark dungeon lair
Water guns held high in the air
Full of joy at our day's success
Of conquering dragons in their dark dungeon lair
Covered in dirt, a rip in my dress
 Full of joy at our day's success
Smiling we left that world behind
We played all day, no regard for time
Now memories left to reminisce
Those days of ignorance I'll truly miss
Remembering when you were always around
As the snow falls softly to the ground

9. Because birds are gliding across your brain.
I rise into the shadows
And the mist is rolling in
Because my breath is rolling out
Like a pond that went to sleep:
You hear doorbells in the woods.
And woke up inside a dream.
Though the woods are in a dream
And woke up inside a dream!
Although the air is filled with blue and while clouds
Though the woods are in a dream.
A good idea can smell like pine trees.
Although the air is filled with blue and while clouds
I am filled with ideas about dreams.
A good idea can smell like pine trees.
And a dream can grow like a cloud.
The stars don’t know what they mean.
You can’t explain this bigness.
And the mist is rolling in
Because birds are gliding across your brain.
By Ron Padgett
More dream-like, makes less straightforward sense than “Desert Dawning”. Does not follow rhyme scheme.

10. Your Turn …
Brainstorm ideas involving memories, journeys, dreams, circular ideas
Bonus – the next stanza is half written
Usually you will need to revisit grammar and line breaks to make the lines work
If the rhyme is too hard, don’t worry about it. Some people find rhyme easy, others don’t.

11. Bibliography University course handouts. 1996.
Unst, Ariade. “The Pantoum Verse Form”. Accessed oum.htm