I have a friend who loves them, and has written some marvelous ones. She 
says she has a natural affinity for them because she's a computer programmer 
and is used to thinking in loops.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "MC Ward" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 8:40 PM
Subject: Re: My Thanks--Skip, Pantoums, Jesse


> Thanks, Tad, for these marvelous poems, especially the
> second one, in which the repetition is handled more
> delicately.
>
> But these pantoums look so hard to write (wah)!
>
> Candice
>
>
>
> --- TheOldMole <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Here are a couple.
>>
>> Parent's Pantoum
>>
>>       for Maxine Kumin
>> Where did these enormous children come from,
>> More ladylike than we have ever been?
>> Some of ours look older than we feel.
>> How did they appear in their long dresses
>>
>> More ladylike than we have ever been?
>> But they moan about their aging more than we do,
>> In their fragile heels and long black dresses.
>> They say they admire our youthful spontaneity.
>>
>> They moan about their aging more than we do,
>> A somber group--why don't they brighten up?
>> Though they say they admire our youthful spontaneity
>> The beg us to be dignified like them
>>
>> As they ignore our pleas to brighten up.
>> Someday perhaps we'll capture their attention
>> Then we won't try to be dignified like them
>> Nor they to be so gently patronizing.
>>
>> Someday perhaps we'll capture their attention.
>> Don't they know that we're supposed to be the stars?
>> Instead they are so gently patronizing.
>> It makes us feel like children--second-childish?
>>
>> Perhaps we're too accustomed to be stars.
>> The famous flowers glowing in the garden,
>> So now we pout like children. Second-childish?
>> Quaint fragments of forgotten history?
>>
>> Our daughters stroll together in the garden,
>> Chatting of news we've chosen to ignore,
>> Pausing to toss us morsels of their history,
>> Not questions to which only we know answers.
>>
>> Eyes closed to news we've chosen to ignore,
>> We'd rather excavate old memories,
>> Disdaining age, ignoring pain, avoiding mirrors.
>> Why do they never listen to our stories?
>>
>> Because they hate to excavate old memories
>> They don't believe our stories have an end.
>> They don't ask questions because they dread the
>> answers.
>> They don't see that we've become their mirrors,
>>
>> We offspring of our enormous children.
>>
>>       Carolyn Kizer
>>
>>
>>
>> Pantoum of the Great Depression
>>
>> Our lives avoided tragedy
>> Simply by going on and on,
>> Without end and with little apparent meaning.
>> Oh, there were storms and small catastrophes.
>>
>> Simply by going on and on
>> We managed. No need for the heroic.
>> Oh, there were storms and small catastrophes.
>> I don't remember all the particulars.
>>
>> We managed. No need for the heroic.
>> There were the usual celebrations, the usual
>> sorrows.
>> I don't remember all the particulars.
>> Across the fence, the neighbors were our chorus.
>>
>> There were the usual celebrations, the usual sorrows
>> Thank god no one said anything in verse.
>> The neighbors were our only chorus,
>> And if we suffered we kept quiet about it.
>>
>> At no time did anyone say anything in verse.
>> It was the ordinary pities and fears consumed us,
>> And if we suffered we kept quiet about it.
>> No audience would ever know our story.
>>
>> It was the ordinary pities and fears consumed us.
>> We gathered on porches; the moon rose; we were poor.
>> What audience would ever know our story?
>> Beyond our windows shone the actual world.
>>
>> We gathered on porches; the moon rose; we were poor.
>> And time went by, drawn by slow horses.
>> Somewhere beyond our windows shone the world.
>> The Great Depression had entered our souls like fog.
>>
>> And time went by, drawn by slow horses.
>> We did not ourselves know what the end was.
>> The Great Depression had entered our souls like fog.
>> We had our flaws, perhaps a few private virtues.
>>
>> But we did not ourselves know what the end was.
>> People like us simply go on.
>> We have our flaws, perhaps a few private virtues,
>> But it is by blind chance only that we escape
>> tragedy.
>> And there is no plot in that; it is devoid of
>> poetry.
>>
>>       Donald Justice
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "MC Ward" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 7:45 PM
>> Subject: Re: My Thanks--Skip, Pantoums, Jesse
>>
>>
>> > Sounds good to me, Jesse, though you'll have to
>> define
>> > (and maybe demonstrate) pantoums for us who
>> haven't
>> > seen as much of the world as you have.
>> >
>> > Candice
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --- TheOldMole <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> >
>> >> I'd take a shot at it.
>> >> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> >> From: <[log in to unmask]>
>> >> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> >> Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 7:19 PM
>> >> Subject: My Thanks--Skip, Pantoums, Jesse
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> > Thanks you guys for the good words.  Amy, how
>> do
>> >> you know Skip?
>> >> >
>> >> > Also, I'd like to propose a project of sorts
>> for
>> >> the list.  I've always
>> >> > been interested in Pantoums and would like to
>> >> propose a pantoum creation
>> >> > week starting sometime in April or May (will be
>> >> out of town most of this
>> >> > month)--the best products of which will become
>> an
>> >> e-chapbook on the
>> >> > ahadadabooks website.  Is that of interest to
>> >> anybody?  If not, not.
>> >> > Jess
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
> ____________________________________________________________________________________
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>> >
>>
>
>
>
>
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