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Vexing How Clock Runs Me Out Of This World: W3 

Its dull face always upsets me
How it stares me back disquiets
But its nonstop hands twice vex me
Hands move same when I sit quiet


How it stares me back disquiets
Even when ignored—that damn clock
Hands move same when I sit quiet
Walkabout or dance a cakewalk


Even when ignored—that damn clock
It can’t make its hands thwart the twirl
Walkabout or dance a cakewalk
Keeps running me out of this world


It can’t make its hands thwart the twirl
But its nonstop hands twice vex me
Keeps running me out of this world
Its dull face always upsets me


© selma


W3 poetry prompt

What a great prompt. This poem was written for Punam Sharma’s W3 poetry
promptWrite a Pantoum on the theme of abandonment.

I wonder if it counts even if I failed to mention that I abandoned looking
at that dull face that robs me of days on earth; hope it’s understood.

This is the most challenging form for me, and you can tell by the number of times
I’ve written pantoums in this blog. The rhyming gets me every time. All that said,
it was fun working on this one. Thanks, Punam dear.

How to write a Pantoum

The pantoum consists of a series of quatrains rhyming ABAB.
The second and fourth lines of a quatrain recur as the first and
third lines in the succeeding quatrain

Each quatrain introduces a new second rhyme as BCBC, CDCD;

The first line of the series recurs as the last line of the closing
quatrain, and the third line of the poem recurs as the second line
of the closing quatrain, rhyming ZAZA

The design is

Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4

Line 5 (repeat of line 2)
Line 6
Line 7 (repeat of line 4)
Line 8

Continue with as many stanzas as you wish, but the ending stanza then
repeats the second and fourth lines of the previous stanza (as its
first and third lines), and also repeats the third line of the first
stanza, as its second line, and the first line of the first stanza as
its fourth. So the first line of the poem is also the last.

Last stanza:

Line 2 of previous stanza
Line 3 of first stanza
Line 4 of previous stanza
Line 1 of first stanza

There’s a lot more where this came from, and if you’re interested, please head over
to David’s website for MORE FUN: THE SKEPTIC’S KADDISH

Thanks for reading, and I hope you know I have no qualms with clocks. At the moment
I’m preparing myself mentally to tackle Maureen Thorson’s April prompts. Will I see
you there? I hope so.

Happy spring, and may there be more laughter, more poetry, and more miracles.

Selma Martin
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This Post Has 27 Comments

    1. Selma Martin

      🙃 time time time ⏰ thanks for reading and commenting. Bless you. Xoxo

  1. Sadje

    Very nice Selma. As luck would have it, I also wrote about a time keeper, my old watch.

    1. Selma Martin

      I read yours. Brilliant work on this difficult form that indeed trice vexed me. Thanks doe reading Sadje.

      1. Sadje

        Thanks a lot Selma. 😍

  2. memadtwo

    A luxury when you can abandon the clock…our world is too much ruled by it for sure. (K)

    1. Selma Martin

      We have important lives that revolve around the clock. And the clock tics on Thanks, K. XoXo

  3. LuAnne Holder

    The Pantoum is a challenging poetic form but you did it brilliantly. I bet that clock twice vexed you as you crafted this poem.

    1. Selma Martin

      It’s so difficult indeed. And you’re right, the clock twice vexed me. LuAnne so happy to came to read. Bless you.

  4. Conny

    Oh that’s great, Selma! I really like how the form of the poem invokes the sense of frustration.

    1. Selma Martin

      There’s frustration. But its useless,!really. Conny, so happy you read and commented. Thanks so much. XoXo

  5. michnavs

    Pantoum indeed is very tricky and complicated and no matter how many times i’ve written it, i still get lost and confused but you just got to find the rhythm i guess…and yours just flowed perfectly well Selma

    1. Selma Martin

      Mich so glad you found the flow satisfactory. Thanks so much for reading and commenting. Blessings.

  6. JoAnna

    Great job, Selma. Working on this kind of poetry form has got to be good brain exercise. It’s weird how time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin, into the future with more and more speed, regardless of whether I slow down or try to keep up. Good idea not to look at the clock much.

    1. Selma Martin

      Brain exercise indeed. It really shakes you and when on a good day the aha moment comes it’s nice.
      The forms that need rhyme discombobulate me every time. 😂 😢

  7. murisopsis

    Abandoning the clock altogether is a hard task – it does run after us!! Well done Pantoum.

    1. Selma Martin

      A hard task for sure and it changes nothing. Whether we sit still or run with it, the clock keeps the same pace. Really, there’s nothing we can do.
      Thanks for reading and dropping a comment. I appreciate you. Blessings. XoXo

  8. ben Alexander

    WOW, Selma ~ there’s something eerie in your description that gives me the shivers… something about the staring back, I suppose… this is so good!

    Much love,
    David

  9. paeansunplugged

    Selma, you aced the form! Atta girl! ❤️
    I do wish we could abandon the clock to live life leisurely.

  10. Great job, Selma! I’ve never written this form and it sounds challenging. But you aced it! 💖👏🏼

    1. Selma Martin

      Syllabic forms are hard really. And more so when they have a strict rhyme scheme. pull hair. But you know it’s such a relief when — brain drained, you manage one.
      I was indeed happy with this one that took me a whole day to complete. 😮‍💨
      Thanks for reading, dear Lauren. Blessings.

  11. lesleyscoble

    I love this! I’ve thrown clocks across the room before now! 😁 tick ticking and telling you when to get out of bed.

  12. Cindy Georgakas

    It’s great Selma and love you being game to always try new things. 💞

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