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Pantoum

A pantoum is a poem that is made up of quatrains. In a pantoum the second and fourth lines of the previous stanza are repeated as the first and third lines of the next stanza.

Examples

    November's Child

    It's November's style to beguile
    She's such a precocious child
    One day can be snow or sleet
    While the next day's warm and mild

    She's such a precocious child Repeated
    Bare branches go begging for a winter coat
    While the next day's warm and mild Repeated
    "It's just the way I am" she gloats

    Bare branches go begging for a winter coat Repeated
    Chilling winds and flurries abound
    "It's just the way I am" she gloats Repeated
    "I love making snow angels on the ground"

    Chilling winds and flurries abound Repeated
    Sending shivers up my spine
    "I love making snow angels on the ground" Repeated
    Sit by the fireplace and sip some wine

    Sending shivers up my spine Repeated
    One day can be snow or sleet
    Sit by the fireplace and sip some wine Repeated
    It's November's style to beguile
    - written by starkat

    The Stranger

    Who is that stranger looking back at me
    with head atilt and wonder in her eyes?
    She mimics all my movements perfectly,
    she's hard to recognize in her disguise.

    With head atilt and wonder in her eyes, Repeated
    she seems familiar in a strange, weird way.
    She's hard to recognize in her disguise, Repeated
    is she a friend I knew well yesterday?

    She seems familiar in a strange, weird way. Repeated
    She's older far than me, or so it seems.
    Is she a friend I knew well yesterday? Repeated
    Perhaps I met her somewhere in my dreams.

    She's older far than me, or so it seems. Repeated
    She mimics all my movements perfectly.
    Perhaps I met her somewhere in my dreams, Repeated
    who is that stranger looking back at me?
    - written by whizpurr ^-^

In this example, the final line is a repeat of the first line of the poem. That is not a requirement of this form of poetry.



Examples provided by the writers at FanStory.com

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