A Pantoum: Masking My Face

The mask upon my face

I wear a mask upon my face

I never cry nor smile

I never show emotion

It hurts too much

I never cry nor smile

I wear an eternal facade

It hurts so much

I need to stop

I wear an eternal facade

I bottle my emotions

I need to stop

I don’t know how

I bottle my emotions

I want to ask for help but

I don’t know how

Weakness hurts me

I want to ask for help but

I don’t want to look weak

Weakness hurts me

I don’t like pain

I don’t want to look weak

So I push the pain inside

I don’t like pain

But I know no other way

So I push the pain inside

I wear a mask upon my face

I know no other way

It hurts so much

I wear a mask upon my face

Forever there it stays

It hurts so much

But I push aside the pain

And forever there it stays

This mask upon my face

And as I push aside the pain

It loosens every day

This mask upon my face

I don’t want it to remain

It loosens every day

And I cry

I don’t want it to remain

It’s hurting so bad

And so I cry

I’m starting to change

It’s hurting so bad

I can’t keep up this charade

I’m starting to change

And so I throw the mask away

I’ve given up this charade

I wear my heart upon my sleeve

I’ve thrown my mask away

I will never be the same

--Ethan Seevers

Pantoum: The Petty Slight

The Petty Slight

It actually was a petty slight.
He started it!
I returned it with a bite.
I didn’t mean to!


He started it!
He slapped me in my line of sight.
He didn’t mean to!
I bawled so loud that he took fright.


He tried to fix my line of sight.
We saw how petty we had been.
He’d taken such a dreadful fright.
I wished I hadn’t bitten him.


We laughed at how petty we’d been.
He promised he would slap no more.
I said I would not bite again.
We walked away with peace restored.


--Miriam Parrish and Madeline Smith

A Pantoum

Windbound

I am a bound bird.
Wind weaves my way,
I sing the lover's song.
I am a bird bound.

Wind weaves my way,
Quick, strong, silent wind.
I am a bound bird
Carried far away.

Quick, strong, silent wind
No longer the navigator,
Carried far away.
I grow weary.

No longer the navigator,
I sing the lover's song.
I grow weary;
I am bound bird.

--Lydia Emeric

The Pantoum

A pantoum is a form of poetry that requires students to pay close attention to structure. It is written in quatrains, with spaces between the quatrains, although some contemporary poets leave out the traditional spaces. The stanzas are linked with lines 2 and 4 becoming lines 1 and 3 of the next quantrain. The pantoum ends by the final quatrain repeating lines 1 and 3 of the first stanza, or lines 1 and 3 can become lines 4 and 2 of the final stanza.

Many of my students have found this complex form fun, like a puzzle. The effect of the repetition is sometimes startling and profound.

The following pantoum was written by Martiese Morone, grade 12. It does not end in the traditional way, but he has found a satisfying ending to this poem about anxiety.


Do I Really Want to Know?

Is it someone I know?
I stand petrified, silent
wondering what's behind the closed door.
Is it dark?

I stand petrified, silent
Is someone there?
Is it dark?
I raise my hand to knock.

Is someone there?
Do I really want to know?
I raise my hand to knock.
Slowly I put down my hand.

Do I really want to know?
I raise my hand quickly before I lose my nerve.
Slowly I lower my hand.
Knock. Knock.

I raise it quickly before I lose my nerve.
Silence answers.
Knock. Knock.
No sign of life.

Silence answers.
Then hearing a deep voice,
a sign of life,
familiarity drives away my fear.

Then hearing a deep voice,
I take a freeing breath.
Familiarity drives away my fear.
Sighing, I put down my hand.

I take a freeing breath.
It is someone I know.
Sighing, I put down my hand.
I really want to know.