Pantoums by Dennis Daly

Originating in Malay, prior to the fifteenth century, the pantoum probably developed from an oral tradition of rhythmic and repetitive rowing songs.

Whether the pantoums in this collection succeed or fail I will leave to the reader to decide. But the poems themselves and their subjects do profit, I believe, from the interlocking patterns and the intensity of the repetitions inherent in this form. Variations of the same phrasing emphasis deliver surprising effects. Counterpointed echoes and subtle shifts on a central theme often materialize. I might add that in my experience the pantoum routinely discards the poet from the process and writes itself. —Dennis Daly