Poetry Sisters Write Pantoums Inspired by Pádraig Ó Tuama

This month's challenge was to write a pantoum inspired by a New Year's post by Pádraig Ó Tuama. In that post, he offered these prompts for the pantoum.

Write eight lines.

Number each one, 1-8, and then arrange them in the shape below.

1  ______

2  ______

3  ______

4  ______

2  ______

5  ______

4  ______

6  ______

5  ______

7  ______

6  ______

8  ______

7  ______

3  ______

8  ______

1  ______

As you arrange them in the shape, feel free to modify the repetition; some new idea may emerge.

• Where are you? What place? A village? a guest house? A city?
• What’s a night sound from outside you hear regularly?
• What’s a night sound from inside you hear regularly?
• What can you see in the dark?
• Who is nearby? Neighbours? Owls? Mice? What’s happening for them?
• What’s time doing?
• What physical sensations can you feel when you wake at night?
• What’s one thing that’s on your mind when you wake?

Here's the poem I came up with. I wrote about summer nights in the house I grew up in.

The Edge of Sleep

On hot nights, I lie on the screened porch,
serenaded by a chorus of crickets,
while the kitchen clock keeps ticking
and a sliver of moon rests above the roof.

Serenaded by a chorus of crickets,
upstairs, my father snores
as a sliver of moon rests above the roof
and the shortest night of summer slips away.

Upstairs, my father snores
while I fear I'll slip from the dream cliff;
the shortest night of summer slips away.
Will I ever sleep again?

I fear I'll slip from the dream cliff
as the kitchen clock keeps ticking.
Will I ever sleep again
on hot nights, on the screened porch?

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2026. All rights reserved.

You can read the poems my Poetry Sisters have written at the links below.

• Tanita Davis
• Mary Lee Hahn
• Sara Lewis Holmes
  
• Laura Purdie Salas
• Liz Garton Scanlon

Would you like to try the next challenge? We will be writing in the form of the haiku sonnet. You’ve got a month to craft your creation(s), then share your offering with the rest of us on August 28th in a post and/or on social media with the tag #PoetryPals. We look forward to reading your poems! 

I hope you'll take some time to check out all the wonderful poetic things being shared and collected today by Tabatha Yeatts at The Opposite of Indifference. Happy Poetry Friday all!