2019 Post #14 -- Pantoun Poems

by Kevin English

One of my favorite poems to write with students is the pantoum. The basic structure is as follows: ABCD, BEDF, EGFH, ACHJ. We read Carolyn Kizer's poem Parent's Pantoun.

Here is one that I wrote in front of my students:

On Public Announcements

If it can be said in an email, send it.

Announcements seem to interrupt my day.

The beep is an intruder that I can’t stop,

Robbing my students of focus.

Announcements seem to interrupt my day.

My blood pressure rises; I can’t make it stop.

Robbing my students of focus,

Me of valuable instructional time.

My blood pressure rises; I can’t make it stop.

It’s followed by chaos and the opening door,

Robbing me of valuable instructional time.

It’s a daily battle that I’m losing.

It’s followed by chaos and the opening door.

The class is now interrupted

It’s a daily battle that I’m losing,

A war of attrition on my patience.

And the concentrating class is now interrupted.

The beep is an intruder that I can’t stop.

A war of attrition on my patience

If it can be said in an email, send it.

What I like about pantoums is that they appear accessible to students. I share that you really are writing 9 lines and then repeating those lines. But repeating those lines is also what is complex, where the author must think about getting the lines in an order that makes sense. I do always begin by having students number (or letter) the lines on a lined sheet of paper. It helps the writer organize their thoughts and lines, especially when it comes to repeating them later.

I ask writers to think about a few things as they write and revise:


What line is the most important to begin on and end on?

As you brainstorm and draft, which lines are worthy of being repeated and which are not?

How can you leverage punctuation in a way that will introduce an idea in one line but have the same line conclude an idea later on?

Further Reading:

Kevin English is an assistant principal, former ELA teacher, school board member, avid reader, and NWP teacher consultant.  You can follow him on Twitter @KevinMEnglish.