Pantoum

  Breath of Night A sullen breath pervades the night the rhythmic stillness I can hear where peaceful dreams grow wings in flight; the thrum of drumming in my ear the rhythmic stillness I can hear, it thumps within my hollow chest; the thrum of drumming in my ear the...

  Spontaneous Conjugal Combustion ---a villanelle He simply couldn't turn the other cheek On ceaseless babble drowning out the game. He caved to scorching fits of crimson pique. He smoldered, snapped, then hollered like a freak--- Sparks flared and flew; his words were far from tame. She simply couldn't turn...

  Pigeonholed The box they shove her in is small and dark. It skews all views and leaves her little space For launching thoughts that rise with daybreak’s lark. Dawn’s rays no longer shine upon her face. They say this box is where her ilk belongs – It helps the...

  Hidden Harmonies “In all chaos there is cosmos. In all disorder a secret order.” ---Carl Jung   I. Slaying Chaos ---a pantoum I’m searching for a meaning in this mess. I’m wading through a shady lake of murk To find a shred of sense in senselessness. I’m trawling where...

Lydia, De-Tattooed Lady ---with apologies to Groucho Marx The years she spent performing in the sun Have made her epidermis overdone. To make things worse, in each one of her shows She posed onstage in scarcely any clothes. If Lydia had sheltered from the weather Perhaps her skin would not...

  Grave New Globe   I. Lair ---a pantoum You said that owning nothing was a blessing. You whipped our worldly wealth and worth away. You told us that regressing meant progressing To greener grass where sunbeams saved the day. You whipped our worldly wealth and worth away. You locked...

. The Bristlecone Pine For centuries, the stalwart pine has stood __in this unwonted spot. Its shallow roots and resinous hard wood __shield it from drought and rot. __Thin soil, high winds, cold air: it thrives where other living things cannot. __Dear tree, please hear my prayer. __Lend me your...

. I Would Say Yes ---a villanelle for Larry on our 36th Anniversary We were young and rather stupid then, But still I see that we were meant to be. I would say yes a thousand times again. From the first we’ve been the best of friends; Life was simple...

. Auntie Barb ---a pantoum She cuts the cheats and charmers to the quick—Her tongue will skin a scoundrel in a wink.She’ll scupper every swindler’s slickest trickBefore the scoffers have a chance to blink. Her tongue will skin a scoundrel in a wink.Acerbic quips will shrink the overblown.Before the scoffers...

. Sit in Silence ---a pantoum It's pure stupidity to sit in silence. It's only idiotic to be idle. Unconscientious deeds should be derided. Decisive daily action's very vital. It's only idiotic to be idle. There's nothing worse than watching death's arrival. Decisive daily action's very vital. The opposite's a...

. The Core of War a pantoum The trickster charms and arms both sides--- He funds the ally and the foe. His hype unites and it divides. He’s oh so anti… also pro. He funds the ally and the foe. His crimson riches rocket in. He’s oh so anti… also...

. Renaissance for Rob Salminen I am as old as I have ever been, And I've not seen all that I'd hoped to see— But every day my life begins again, And I'm as young as I will ever be. . . Lost and Found a pantoum It’s hard to...

. Song of the Sophist a pantoum I tiptoe past all that is true--- The facts never matter to me. My aim is to wheedle and woo. I peddle malarkey with glee. The facts never matter to me. I fib as I fox and digress. I peddle malarkey with glee....

. Send in the Clones Year One. Computer, help me make this switch! This lab is now my church. Advance my mission: To nail the science for my sex transition! Frustration makes me positively twitch--- I scratch and scratch but still can’t get that itch. A swirl of chic mascara,...

. Boycott the Bullies ---a pantoum for the real women boxers at the Paris Olympics Don’t let a slappy chap punch out your lights. Refuse the bruise of hairy rounds with guys. It’s time to block woke blokes from female fights Before they’re holding every golden prize. Refuse the bruise...

. Betrayal a villanelle Today she spied the shadow of a snake Slither through the spreading family tree--- A curse her startled heart finds hard to take. She heard this serpent hiss. Though wide awake A nightmare flared with fanged reality. Today she spied the shadow of a snake. She watched the burdened branches bend...

. All Aboard!   a pantoum He’s pumped and ripe to ride the gravy train. He’s armed with cheese and charm to save the day. He’ll pulverize all poverty and pain. He’ll magic melancholia away. He’s armed with cheese and charm to save the day. From golden heights his Midas might...

. . Peaches, Plums, and the Sistine Chapel . . I. Pondering Prufrock   a pantoum  . The women come and then they go As foggy muzzles nuzzle air. There’s talk of Mike and Angelo. Time strides the beach with hoary hair. . As foggy muzzles nuzzle air On tea and...

. A Prayerful Pantoum for the Perpetually Pessimistic  "We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne."  ---Robert Burns For bellyachers belching bile this year For sourpusses (huffish and offended) I’ll pray for spines of steel and hearts of cheer--- A splendid year where rifts are swiftly mended. For sourpusses (huffish and offended) For...

. Tampering with Permanence  a Seattle pantoum __Here where I live, a cloud looks like a mountain; mountains float. Like love, illusions laugh out loud. We’re stuck in nature’s drunken boat: looks like a mountain; mountains float and fade to air, though made of rock— we’re stuck in nature’s drunken...

. Not Alexa's President a pantoum on the news story here “The real risk with AI isn't malice but competence.”  —Stephen Hawking Alexa says election fraud took place. She says the 2020 vote was stolen. Alexa’s cyber eye upon the case Found numbers bungled, skewed and spun and swollen. She says the...

. Wood a pantoum It’s only furniture. But that’s both truth and lie. To find Mom’s treasured things a loving new address is near impossible, no matter what I try. Her home’s impending sale exacerbates the stress of finding treasured things a loving new address. The size and weight of...

. The Billboard a pantoum It’s propped along the route I roll— A squatting square against the sky, Atop a sturdy metal pole, To tell me what new thing to buy. A squatting square against the sky, It blocks the airy, fluffy clouds, To tell me what new thing to...

. Come September a pantoum Ohio State’s your home come September, Though we'll be lonely, stuck as empty nesters. Our home will be without its central member, When college life will beckon each semester. Though we'll be lonely, stuck as empty nesters, We'll always cherish memories of you as a...

. FIRST PLACE . Tooth and Claw a pantoum by Susan Jarvis Bryant Observe the tooth and claw of savage deed. Beware the ferric breath of looming dread. Don’t let the taunt of terror sow its seed— The heartless reap a harvest seeping red. Beware the ferric breath of looming dread On ill winds wafting from a shady shore. The heartless reap a harvest seeping red— The truth is leaking neath the Dragon’s door. On ill winds wafting from a shady shore Ghosts whisper of the fate of Falun Gong. The truth is leaking neath the Dragon’s door...

. Green... Greener... Greenest...   a doomsday pantoum Zoom with raving saviors to Net Zero. Bewail our frail and ailing habitat. Become a carbon-taxing pseudo-hero. Trade trilling tones for shrillest super-brat. Bewail our frail and ailing habitat. Jet far and wide to spread the force-fed word. Trade trilling tones for shrillest super-brat. Glower like a sour and steaming turd. Jet far and wide to spread the force-fed word....

. Signs of the Times . I. Hymn 6-6-6 a rondeau Hymn 6-6-6 on high display— The devil’s number where we pray Before the Lord—is that a thing? Is Jesus Christ no longer King? Must Satan now be met halfway? It’s never been more than today That “all like sheep...

. How to Write Contemporary Poetry a pantoum in free verse composition keep letters lower case. dump classical tradition then cite the marketplace. keep letters lower case make use of ampersands then cite the marketplace if no one understands. make use of ampersands so texts can look progressive. if no...

. Screened. I. The Phony Mom a true story Her phone, in hand above the stroller, Blocked her baby from her view. She held it like a game controller, Adoring every pixel’s hue As mothers not so long ago Adored their babies just for being. What more could phony glow...

. Could it be Love? a pantoum My wits are kissed. Could it be love? My brain is drained of all but you. I’m cuckoo as a cooing dove. I have an over-rosy view. My brain is drained of all but you. A giggle tickles tipsy lips. I have an...

. The Fluctuations of Modernity and Antiquity a pantoum __Something is ahead, A solemn note on open sky, __It rises from the dead, A whizzing plane of time gone by. A solemn note on open sky, Reminds me of the shopping mall, A whizzing plain of time gone by, A...

. In Plain Sight Our enemies aren’t rattling at the gate. Our foes aren’t firing shots from foreign ground. They toy with minds---pain brains, and obfuscate--- We bend and bow and break without a sound. They’re lurking in the sanctuary of the church. They’re sullying the syllabus at schools. They sneak and skulk and...

. The Death of the Leviathan The monster finally meets its doom: Sound out the death-knell, light the pyre! The depths are ready for its tomb--- Now let the wretch at last expire! Sound out the death-knell, light the pyre Where all the putrid flesh shall burn; Now let the...

. Seeing the Light by Susan Jarvis Bryant . I. Peace Be with You… a pantoum   “Peace is possible, truth at all costs.” ---Martin Luther  The churchyard cat is terrified The belfry bats are numb with fear The oaken door creaks open wide The luckless flock is drawing near The...

. Aspects of Love . I. Unrequited a rondeau redoublé Tonight, my eyes are open and aware. The kiss I trusted was a lustful lie. I’m letting go of love that isn’t there. My heart holds dreams no mind can justify.  I built a cozy castle in the sky--- A home of truth and...

. The Joys of Spring a pantoum It’s here—sweet long-awaited spring. New blooms smell lovely; skies are blue. The trilling birds are on the wing. Earth has awakened; life is new. New blooms smell lovely; skies are blue. Kids dash outside to have a fling. Earth has awakened; life is...

. Poppy A vase of poppies on the table there, Twelve years have past, all white is now her hair. A shadow running up the path she sees, Her son has come! Her end to miseries. Twelve years have past all white is now her hair. She missed him much,...

. What Is Truth? a pantoum To keep us blind and riven You falsify the facts. You will not be forgiven--- These are a tyrant’s acts! You falsify the facts Promoting news that’s fake. These are a tyrant’s acts--- Our liberty’s at stake! Promoting news that’s fake, You think you...

. Hypnosis Come over here, then, and sit in this chair, Gaze at this candle-flame, empty your mind, No need to worry, no need to beware--- I am so patient, so caring and kind. Gaze at this candle-flame, empty your mind Watch the flame flicker entrancing your soul, I am...

. A Pox Upon My House a pantoum I heard the hiss of sickness as my mind cracked. I scoured and bleached and reached new hygiene heights. I locked down, muzzled up and shunned all contact--- Its moans and groans still stole my sleep-kissed nights. I scoured and bleached and reached new hygiene heights. Contagion...