Image Source
Are you a fan of poetry but haven't heard of the Pantoum? Well, this unique form of poetry is definitely worth checking out.
What is a Pantoum?
A Pantoum is a form of poetry that originated in Malaysia and is now commonly used in Western literature. It consists of a series of quatrains (four-line stanzas) that are connected by repeating lines. The first and third lines are repeated in the following stanza. The second and fourth lines of each quatrain are repeated in the following quatrain, with the exception of the final stanza where the second and fourth lines of the penultimate stanza are repeated as the first and third lines. This creates a unique looping effect that gives the poem a sense of circularity.
To give you a better understanding of a Pantoum, here is an example poem that I wrote a few days ago:
--
In life, there are two certainties we face
Birth and death, the cycle of our fate
One brings new hope, the other brings an end
And in between, a journey we must tend
Birth and death, the cycle of our fate
We enter this world with a cry and a wail
And in between, a journey we must tend
A path that winds and twists, that may entail
We enter this world with a cry and a wail
An innocence and purity, yet to be marred
A path that winds and twists, that may entail
The struggles and joys that leave us scarred
An innocence and purity, yet to be marred
We learn, we grow, we love, we hate
The struggles and joys that leave us scarred
And then, at last, we meet our final fate
We learn, we grow, we love, we hate
One brings new hope, the other brings an end
And then, at last, we meet our final fate
In life, there are two certainties we face
--
As you can see, certain lines of each stanza are repeated in the following stanza, creating a looping effect that gives the poem a sense of circularity. The Pantoum is a unique form of poetry that is structured in a very specific way. It is a challenging form of poetry to write, but it can create beautiful and interesting effects when executed properly. Give it a try and see what kind of poem you can come up with!