Shortly after my first column came out, I received an anonymous question: What’s a pantoum?

Good question.

The "pantun" is a Malaysian poetic form that was introduced to the West by French novelist, essayist, and poet, Victor Hugo (1802-1885), hence the French spelling, "pantoum". Westerners have taken creative liberties with the Malaysian form, which tends to follow a standard rhyme form of ABAB, where multiple, rather than single subjects, are introduced.

While pantoums can have unlimited stanzas, you might want to begin with a 3-stanza poem until you get the hang of it:

Stanza 1:
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4

Stanza 2:
Line 5 (repeat of line 2 in stanza 1)
Line 6 (new line)
Line 7 (repeat of line 4 in stanza 1)
Line 8 (new line)

Stanza 3/Last Stanza (This is the format for the last stanza regardless of how many preceding stanzas there are):
Line 9 (line 2 of the previous stanza)
Line 10 (line 3 of the first stanza)
Line 11 (line 4 of the previous stanza)
Line 12 (line 1 of the first stanza)

I was first introduced to the pantoum a few years back while participating in a UK-based on-line poetry workshop created to celebrate "The Year of the Poet." The Pennine Poetry Works, hosted by poets John Carley and Helen Clare, renewed my interest in poetic forms.

Since then, I’ve written a few pantoums, and, as a more-experienced poet-friend of mine continues to remind me: "it looks easier than it is." I can attest to that! But please, please, please don’t let that deter you from trying this form! Personally, I like the "word puzzle" aspect as well as the challenge of creating lines that "flow". It’s fun to see how meaning shifts when you tweak them a bit, too. While rhyming isn’t a "rule" in the western form, if you do like rhymed poetry, the pantoum provides an excellent opportunity to hone those wordsmything skills.

Here’s a pantoum of mine—

It's all in the canvas

Naked in front of a full-length mirror,
you roll and press those folds of flesh,
think about Ruben’s women, and
how the critics call them art.

You roll and press those folds of flesh,
relishing yet another mocha.
How the critics call them art,
inspires a new perspective.

Relishing yet another mocha,
think about Ruben’s women;
inspire a new perspective
naked in front of a full-length mirror.

(Note: See how I used my "poetic license" to omit the "and" in verse 3, line 2 as well as the "s" in "inspires".)

The Poetry Workshop’s Question and Answer Section
by
Terrie Relf

Q: What is Science Fiction Poetry?

A: I'm just going to offer you a little teaser for the moment, as my next column will discuss this in further depth.

Let's begin with a short quiz.

Please choose your responses from the items listed.
1. Science Fiction poetry is based on hard science.
a) true b) false c) both true and not true d) both false and not false e) neither true nor not true or false nor not false f) all of the above g) none of the above h) this woman is definitely lunar i) what was the question? j) Next question, please! k) Where's Heidigger when you need him? l) Schroedinger's cat m) Is this "beam-me-up-Scotty-time"?

2. Science Fiction poetry has nothing at all to do with hard science, but is speculative in nature.
a) True b) True some of the time, but not all of the time c) False d) False some of the time, but not all of the time e) As with most SF greats (e.g., Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Bradbury, Vonnegut and all they spawned), SF poets are visionaries f) If William Shakespeare was alive today, he would be writing SF poetry

3.If studies show that there is a probability of intelligent life existing on earth, and if evidence of intelligent life can be observed and measured by the interrogative process, then list your questions below:

Aren't quizzes fun?! Since one of the more practical ways to learn about a poetic form, or genre, is to read examples of it. To get you started, I've provided a few links:

The Martian Wave, Fifth Dimension, and Aoif's Kiss (all available at: http://www.promartian.com) have poetry in every issue. If you cruise on over to the Creator's Club, you can also see the archived work of several SF poets, including Yours Truly. The Science Fiction Poetry Association (available at: http://dm.net/~bejay/sfpa.htm) has a newsletter, information about events, "who's-who", and other goodies as well. Tom Brinck's Scifaiku site (available at: http://www.scifaiku.com) was my original port of entry. Life hasn't been the same since I joined the scifaiku list. Let's just say I've folded time and space, journeyed to distant galaxies, and encountered numerous aliens. "The Ultimate Science Fiction Poetry Guide" (available at: http://www.magicdragon.com/UltimateSF/sfpo.html ) will keep you busy for a millennium or two.

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