In my quest to learn more about poetry I have attempted the Pantoum. This particular form, apparently, has its origins in Malay.As in many types of poetry there are specific rules or traditions to follow, which make them distinct, and therefore requires a careful attention when constructing the verses.
A traditional Pantoum has the following rules.
There is no specific length to the poem, therefore it can have as many verses as the writer wants.
Each stanza or verse has four lines.
The rhyming scheme is abab, bcbc, cdcd etc.
The second line of each verse becomes the first line of the next verse.
The fourth line of each verse also becomes the third line of the next verse.
The first line of the poem is also the last line.
Usually, although not fixed, the Pantoum has eight syllables in each line.Because of the repetition of the lines, the poem is full of haunting echoes with the ending returning to the beginning. This form of poetry suits subjects such as obsession, searching and finding or comparing the past with the present.
Charing Cross Glasgow
The Wishing Well.
While walking by to work each day
I pass a dried up wishing well
Where people drop in coins to pray
They make a wish or cast a spell
I pass a dried up wishing well
Where they are building new homes
They made a wish or cast a spell
When they dug out the children’s bones
Where they are building up new homes
There are now pipes of fresh water
Where they dug out the children’s bones
The remains from a Dickensian era
There are now pipes of fresh water
And a dry well built of old stones
The remains from a Dickensian era
The brass plaque telling of the bones
And a dry well built of old stones
Where I stop for a moment to read
The brass plaque telling of the bones
And of a history I should heed
Where I stop for a moment to read
I drop a coin to wish and pray
And of a history I must heed
While walking by to work each day.
James McEwan 