Pantoum: Little Brave One
©2017, Olan L. Smith
Who places her hand upon my mouth to stop my speech?
Effective effort on your part, I must say, I dare you!
Were my words to your disliking? Little one with small reach,
I will bite your fingers if you place them within view.
Effective effort on your part, I must say, I dare you!
Come to my bed and enter my dreams to mute my screech?
I will bite your fingers if you place them within view.
No more do you enter my kingdom, I beseech.
Come to my bed and enter my dreams to mute my screech?
What a feeble reason to meet me, shrew.
No more do you enter my kingdom, I beseech,
You need not censor my tongue to forge your coup.
What a feeble reason to meet me, shrew.
Little one of small thoughts; I know you, leach.
You need not censor my tongue to forge your coup,
Next time open my eyes and mend your reach.
What is it? Every night the sprites queue up
To touch me, and you decide to wake me?
Little reasons to meet? I suppose I drank your cup
For now I write of you, the brave one full of glee.
(AN A Pantoum is Malaysian style poem converted by French using a villanelle style of repeating alternate lines; rhyme scheme is abab, baba, abab, baba, cdcd.