Pebbles – a Pantoum

This is a pantoum for Jane Dougherty’s prompt on pebbles. It’s not a form I’ve come across before, and it’s a bit tricky, but I’m sure it’s good for me. Here goes:

 

 

I’m thinking now of all the time we spent,

Heads together,with the wild gulls crying,

Carefully choosing – some stayed, and some went –

And all the while, the sea sighing.

 

Heads together, with the wild gulls crying,

We chose one if it gave us pleasure,

And all the while, the sea sighing,

As we amassed our glittering treasure

 

We chose one if it gave us pleasure

We brought it home, a fragment of our past,

As we amassed our glittering treasure:

A twisting shell, a sea-worn piece of glass.

 

We brought it home, a fragment of our past,

When you were young, and muddy, and ran wild

A twisting shell, a sea-worn piece of glass,

A stick, a stone, all treasure to a child

 

When you were young, and muddy, and ran wild

Carefully choosing – some stayed and some went –

A stick, a stone, all treasure to a child:

I’m thinking now of all the time we spent.

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NaPoWriMo 26 – call and response

She Shanty 
To be sung by a raucous chorus of piratical women, swinging their cocktails in time to the music.

This is a song about the men I’ve known,

Let him swim away, girl, set yourself free,

I’m happy with a man, and I’m happy on my own

There’s plenty more fish in the big blue sea

 

One was a story that you’ve heard before

Let him swim away, girl, set yourself free,

I wanted him, but he wanted her

There’s plenty more fish in the big blue sea

 

 

Two was handsome and he had a kind of flair

Let him swim away, girl, set yourself free,

But he spent 4 hours just styling his hair

There’s plenty more fish in the big blue sea

 

 

I love my friends, and we have a lot of fun

Let him swim away, girl, set yourself free,

But Three didn’t like me seeing anyone

There’s plenty more fish in the big blue sea

 

 

Four really wasn’t good for me at all

Let him swim away, girl, set yourself free,

He thought he looked big when he made me look small

 There’s plenty more fish in the big blue sea

 

 

Five thought he’d tame me and keep me at home

Let him swim away, girl, set yourself free,

But I’m a wild cat and I like to roam

There’s plenty more fish in the big blue sea

 

 

Six was the one, I was pretty sure

Let him swim away, girl, set yourself free,

But he said a smart woman made him insecure

 There’s plenty more fish in the big blue sea

 

 

I told my ma and she said “Come on –

Let him swim away, girl, set yourself free,

You kiss a lot of frogs before you find the right one!”

There’s plenty more fish in the big blue sea

 

Let him swim away, girl, set yourself free,

There’s plenty more fish in the big blue sea!