The Pantoum of the Opera

Writing a pantoum doesn't have to feel like being dragged against your will down a winding stone staircase to the catacombs Just follow Erik and Christine's helpful guide to writing a pantoum and you'll be bringing down the chandelier in no time THE PANTTOUM OPERA OF THE A "His nose! There is no nose!" B It's the last thing you want to hear. unlimited Your only hope is to hide out in the catacombs D, Before the tutu'd girls scream out in fear. number of 4-line stanzas (quatrains) B It's the last thing you want to hear: E That Carlotta sings instead of Christine. D Before, the tutu'd girls screamed out in fear. Now they just say the phantom is mean. lines 2 & 4 become lines 1 & 3 in the next stanza rhyming is optional (but might help you not F Now, they say the phantom is just mean. H He dressed as Red Death for the ball. E If Carlotta sings instead of Christine, G Erik will make the chandelier fall. fall down the stairs) final stanza She tore off his mask; she was sent to her room. C Her only hope is to hide out. In the catacombs J there may be a way to write that pantoum. A He suspects there is. No, knows. picks up lines 3 & 1 from the first For a little extra suspense and excitement, try to vary the meaning of words or the punctuation in repeated lines RECOMMENDED PANTOUM READING INCIDENT • NATASHA TRETHEWEY BABY'S PANTOUM • ANNE WALDMAN HOTEL LAUTRÉAMONT • JOHN ASHBERY HARMONIE DU SOIR CHARLES BAUDELAIRE SOMETHING ABOUT THE TREES LINDA PASTAN ANOTHER LULLABY FOR INSOMNIACS • A.E. STALLINGS PANTOUM OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION DONALD JUSTICE FOR MORE ON PANTOUMS (AND OTHER POETIC FUN) ts VISIT US AT TWEETSPEAKPOETRY.COM, AND SUBSCRIBE TO EVERY DAY POEMS FOR DAILY POETIC DELIVERIES t @tspoetry /tspoetry * quoted from the 1925 silent film, The Phantom of the Opera, based on the novel by Gaston Leroux