The pantoum, a little-used poetic form, is a sort of hybrid of terza rima and a villanelle. The poem is made up of a series of quatrains in which the second and fourth line of one stanza are repeated as the first and third lines of the next. The final stanza elaborates on this, taking the first and third lines of the first stanza as its fourth and second lines. The effect can be a distinctly circular feel, with slight changes in meaning taking place within overwhelming continuity and repetition. Seasonal change and the passage of time are therefore particularly common subjects for pantoums, as in this poem by Greg Williamson.
"New Year's: A Short Pantoum"
The sunlight was falling. A part
Played out in the deep snow.
We were all there. At the start
We knew how the year would go,
Played out in the deep snow.
The sunlight was falling apart.
We knew how the year would go.
We were all there at the start.
2001
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Thanks for the lesson on the pantoum! I like the circularity, repetition and the word play that seems to be inherent in the form.
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