The pantoum is a poetic form originating in 15th century Malaysia that uses repetition. It’s a poem of any length composed of four-line stanzas in which the second and fourth lines of each stanza serve as the first and third lines of the next stanza. The final stanza is often two lines from the first stanza.

hard bumps–a pantoum

life is a bumpy ride
a rumble strip of tests
we are left with one clear job
to hunt for the good in all

a rumble strip of bumps
can pitch you to the ground
search for opportunity
to soften painful blows

pitched onto the ground
push to standing again
look to soften those blows
with a change in point of view

push to standing again
don’t let blows lay you low
with a change in your mindset
you can reframe the losses

be resilient with blows
look for good inside trials
you can reframe the losses
and build a fresh way forward

poke around those hard trials
there’s lessons to be learned
they’ll show a fresh way forward
and point you toward new doors

life is a bumpy ride
we are left with one clear job

2023 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.