The summer before I started university, I did a few creative writing workshops. Once, we tried some verse poems (I wrote a villanelle). I liked following a template. It gave me a guide in the otherwise limitless and daunting realm of poetry. So I thought I would try it again for this week’s post. This time, I tried a pantoum. I followed the format of Another Lullaby for Insomniacs by A. E. Stallings as a reference point.
summer outing
the icy water’s sweet
as I wade in the river
pebbles scratch my feet
it sets my limbs aquiver
as I wade in the river
the fish begin to scatter
it sets my limbs aquiver
to think, to them I matter
the fish begin to scatter
their skin glints in the sun
to think, to them I matter
to others, I am no one
their skin glints in the sun
they think they’re in my thrall
to others, I am no one
to them, I rule them all
they think they’re in my thrall
the icy water’s sweet
to them, I rule them all
but pebbles scratch my feet.
© Sohini Kumar
Photo by John Salvino from Unsplash
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I have little knowledge of verse styles and formats, but I like the subject and the sound of the pantoum style, like waves of the ocean, one riding over the previous one….
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Thank you! That’s a nice way to think of it. 🙂
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