These examples of the pantoum show how the form lends itself to telling a story. Many of the pantoums used as examples here, focus on a specific moment of history.
What story do you have or want to tell? Is the pantoum a way to express it?
Pantoum by Marilyn Hacker
This pantoum is startling in its imagery and urgent investigation of forced immigration and war.
pantoum: landing, 1976 by Evie Shockley.
What story does this tell? How does the structure of the pantoum add to the haunting of that story? Shockley’s other poetry on the same site is also great reading.
Pantoum for Derrion Albert from the Plank by Raych Jackson
Text and video. This poem tells the story of a murder of young black man in Chicago
Pantoum of the Great Depression by Donald Justice
This pantoum tells the story of another time of economic crisis in the United States. The details and repetition add to the feeling of never being able to free oneself from circumstances of the present. (But remarkably, people often do.)
A Pantoum for What We Let Grow by K McClendon.
This powerful poem and performance by this new poet considers the cycle of domestic violence.
Lower Manhattan Pantoum by Elaine Sexton (2005)
What event is this pantoum describing but not telling? What do you think happened? Why do you think this writer is telling this story now?
Trethaway, Natasha. Incident (pantoum)
This devastating pantoum builds slowly through expert use of the form
