The Pantoum
The Pantoum
A Poem of Echoes and Memory
A Poem of Echoes and Memory
Write a pantoum, a poetic form built on repetition, where lines loop and shift in meaning as the poem unfolds. The pantoum’s structure mimics the way memory works—thoughts returning in slightly altered ways, emotions repeating but never quite the same.
Each stanza follows a specific pattern of repetition:
The second and fourth lines of each stanza become the first and third lines of the next stanza.
The final stanza circles back by repeating lines from the beginning, giving the poem a sense of closure—or inescapability.
This structure creates a dreamlike, rhythmic effect, making pantoums great for exploring themes of memory, nostalgia, regret, longing, or cycles in life.
The poem is written in four-line stanzas (quatrains).
The second and fourth lines of each stanza must become the first and third lines of the next stanza.
This pattern continues until the final stanza, where:
The second line of the very first stanza returns as the last line of the poem.
The last line of the very first stanza returns as the second line of the final stanza.
Stanza 1:
Line A
Line B
Line C
Line D
Stanza 2:
Line B (repeated from above)
New Line E
Line D (repeated from above)
New Line F
Stanza 3:
Line E (repeated from above)
New Line G
Line F (repeated from above)
New Line H
Final Stanza:
Line G (repeated from above)
Line C (from the first stanza)
Line H (repeated from above)
Line A (from the first stanza)
This looping structure allows images, ideas, or emotions to shift slightly in meaning each time they reappear.
The poem must follow the pantoum’s repeating line structure.
The repeated lines should feel slightly different each time they appear—whether through tone, context, or small wording shifts.
The poem should explore a theme that benefits from a cyclical structure, such as memory, time, love, loss, or obsession.
The final stanza should bring the poem full circle, creating either a sense of closure or an unresolved loop.
Let repetition change meaning. The same line can feel hopeful in one stanza and tragic in another—this contrast is what makes a pantoum powerful.
Use vivid imagery and sensory details. Since the lines repeat, small shifts in wording or context can help prevent redundancy.
Make sure the poem flows naturally. Though the form is structured, the poem should still sound organic, not forced.
"One Art" by Elizabeth Bishop (though not a pantoum, this poem uses repetition in a way that mirrors its themes of loss and control)
"Pantoum of the Great Depression" by Donald Justice (a classic pantoum capturing economic hardship and memory)
"Parent’s Pantoum" by Carolyn Kizer (a haunting pantoum exploring the cycle of family and aging)
He buys the shoes they said were best,
The ones that shine, the name-brand kind.
He walks with shoulders pulled and pressed,
Approval trailing close behind.
The ones that shine, the name-brand kind,
He trades last year’s for something new.
Approval trailing close behind,
Yet slipping through like smoke, in two.
He trades last year’s for something new,
A faster car, a sleeker screen.
Yet slipping through like smoke, in two,
Like echoes lost in what has been.
A faster car, a sleeker screen,
The weight of want pressed in his chest.
Like echoes lost in what has been,
Still chasing more, still finding less.
The weight of want pressed in his chest,
He walks with shoulders pulled and pressed.
Still chasing more, still finding less,
He buys the shoes they said were best.