Next poetry meetup: Friday May 30th 7pm: Pantoum.

Hello poetry lovers

Our next poetry evening will be on Friday May 30th.
Venue: Amy's
Theme (optional): write a pantoum or find a nice one. Please bring printed handouts to share.

The pantoum was originally a 15th century Malayan form, brought to the West by Victor Hugo in 1829, taken up in England in the late 19th century. It caught on in America (mostly among the New York poets) in 1956, and on from there.
Design: unlimited number of quatrains following this scheme:

Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4

Line 5 (repeat of line 2)
Line 6
Line 7 (repeat of line 4)
Line 8

Continue with as many stanzas as you wish, but the ending stanza then repeats the second and fourth lines of the previous stanza (as its first and third lines), and also repeats the third line of the first stanza, as its second line, and the first line of the first stanza as its fourth. So the first line of the poem is also the last.

Last stanza:

Line 2 of previous stanza
Line 3 of first stanza
Line 4 of previous stanza
Line 1 of first stanza

Two examples:

BAREBACK PANTOUM
Cecilia Woloch

One night, bareback and young, we rode through the woods
and the woods were on fire -
two borrowed horses, two local boys
whose waists we clung to, my sister and I

and the woods were on fire -
the pounding of hooves and the smell of smoke and the sharp sweat of boys
whose waists we clung to, my sister and I,
as we rode toward flame with the sky in our mouths -

the pounding of hooves and the smell of smoke and the sharp sweat of boys
and the heart saying: mine
as we rode toward flame with the sky in our mouths -
the trees turning gold, then crimson, white

and the heart saying: mine
of the wild, bright world;
the trees turning gold, then crimson, white
as they burned in the darkness, and we were girls

of the wild, bright world
of the woods near our house - we could turn, see the lights
as they burned in the darkness, and we were girls
so we rode just to ride

through the woods near our house - we could turn, see the lights
and the horses would carry us, carry us home
so we rode just to ride,
my sister and I, just to be close to that danger, desire

and the horses would carry us, carry us home
? two borrowed horses, two local boys,
my sister and I - just to be close to that danger, desire -
one night, bareback and young, we rode through the woods.

11/14/00
Patricia Lay-Dorsey

Whose vote counts today?
Our patience wears thin
Will the president owe his win
to a Florida state judge?

Our patience wears thin
The country looks south
to a Florida state judge
Will the deadline he extend?

The country looks south
The world holds its breath
Will the deadline he extend
to pregnant chads, butterfly wings?

The world holds its breath
Will the president owe his win
to pregnant chads, butterfly wings?
Whose vote counts today?