Once an oral form of poetry, the pantoum is a poem form from 15th century Malaysia and is popular among French poets. The twenty-line rhyming poem works best when written on an emotional topic like memories, history, family issues, or grief.

What is exciting (and a bit of a puzzle) is that the lines of a pantoum are repeated at certain intervals. For example, the 2nd and the 4th lines of the first stanza become the 1st and 3rd lines of the next stanza (ten of the twenty lines are repeated). The last line is the same as the first line of the poem. Usually, each line of a pantoum has 12 syllables. My pantoum below worked better with 11 syllables per line.

Confused? Don’t be, I’ve created a template with rules, examples and a worksheet that will make writing a pantoum easier. Just download the template below and enjoy!

Here’s my pantoum. It’s a bit personal as the form requires an emotional topic. I chose to write about my married mother meeting my unmarried biological father and then keeping my true paternity a secret for most of my life.

Please note that I have bolded the repeating lines as an example of the form, but you will learn more details on the form when you download the template.

MY EYES ARE THE COLOR OF SECRETS AND LIES
(A pantoum poem)

My eyes are the color of secrets and lies.
The cornflower blue of a stranger’s sly wink.
My skin, like his, a milky shade of moonrise,
lips, a soft watercolor brushstroke of pink.

The cornflower blue of a stranger’s sly wink.
His smile, his laugher, his welcoming glance.
Lips, a soft watercolor brushstroke of pink,
a band on her finger, he asked her to dance.

His smile, his laugher, his welcoming glance.
Neon sparks flickered from one to another.
A band on her finger, he asked her to dance.
That forbidden night she became my mother.

Neon sparks flickered from one to another.
She held her little secret close to her chest.
That forbidden night she became my mother.
Who was it who said that a mother knows best?

She held her little secret close to her chest.
My skin, like his, a milky shade of moonrise.
Who was it who said that a mother knows best?
My eyes are the color of secrets and lies.

Template

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