Sunset

A pantoum

sunset

my heart sinks with the dying sun
and gravel grinds beneath my wheels
as I follow this too peaceful road
towards sepulchral silence

gravel grinds beneath my wheels
as I continue on my solemn trek
towards sepulchral silence
where loss and grief await me

thus I continue on my solemn trek
fighting the urge to turn away
from this fierce loss and grief waiting
for my heart to sink with the sun

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A good poem doesn’t need explaining and allows room for the reader’s own interpretation. While I could tell you all about the story behind this poem, I think it’s best if I don’t.

Instead, I’ll only discuss its form.

If you’re familiar with form poetry, you’ve likely already noticed how the second and fourth lines of the first two stanzas repeat—with minor variations—in the second and third stanzas.

You’ll also have noticed that the first line comes back as the closing line of the poem.

While I don’t strictly adhere to the rules of the form (aren’t rules meant to be broken, anyway?), sunset is, indeed, a pantoum.

What I love about this form is how it allows me to play with language within its restrictions; the challenge to push it to its limits—and maybe even a little beyond.

Pantoums are perfect for capturing emotions in cycles—grief, love, nostalgia. Have you ever experimented with this form?

Let me know in the comments!

If you’d like to read more, sunset is part of DAAN! Poems Without Pretence, available at your favourite online bookshop.