Promises, or: Lies

A Pantoum

I abandon faith in non-sense;
I see no hint of divine justice;
I've lost my patience for pretense;
Reject all groups that bid: "Trust us..."

I see no hint of divine justice;
Though hope's reassurance tempts me;
Reject all groups that bid: "Trust us..."
Untestable promises ring empty

Though hope's reassurance tempts me,
I'd rather the pain of true reality;
Untestable promises ring empty,
Forged by life's senseless brutality

I'd rather the pain of true reality;
I've lost my patience for pretense;
Forged by life's senseless brutality,
I abandon faith in non-sense

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Pantoum?

• The pantoum consists of a series of quatrains rhyming ABAB in which 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 simple:
  • 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

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W³ poetry prompt

This poem was written for Punam Sharma’s W³ poetry prompt, which is: write a Pantoum on the theme of abandonment.

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Let’s write poetry together!

When it comes to partnership, some humans can make their lives alone – it’s possible. But creatively, it’s more like painting: you can’t just use the same colours in every painting. It’s just not an option. You can’t take the same photograph every time and live with art forms with no differences.

–Ben Harper (b. 1969)

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!