A Pantoum About a Woman in Gold and Red
So, I decided to write a pantoum about this image I had in my head—a woman who always wears gold and red. The structure of a pantoum is perfect for creating that kind of dreamy, mysterious vibe, and I’m going to walk you through how I did it.
Step 1: Getting the Structure Down
The pantoum is all about repetition. It’s made up of four-line stanzas, and the lines repeat in a specific pattern. Here’s how it goes:
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4
Line 2 (repeated)
Line 5
Line 4 (repeated)
Line 6
And it just keeps going like that, with the second and fourth lines of each stanza becoming the first and third lines of the next. The repetition gives the poem a kind of circular feel, which was perfect for what I wanted to create.
2: Start with a Strong ImageI
I kicked off with a strong image that sets the tone right away. Since this is all about me, as I decided I was the woman in gold and red, I started with:
Line 1: I move through shadows in gold and red.
This line is meant to pull you in immediately. You can see it, right? The way the colors stand out even in the dark.
Please note this woman in the image is not me … but my imagination made her me.
A woman in red and gold- Image by A.R Shimanto
Step 3: Build Out the First Stanza
Next, I added three more lines to round out the first stanza. I thought about how the colors interact with the night and what they say about me as I move through it.
Line 2: The colors dance as evening fades.
Line 3: My steps are whispers, soft and led.Line 4: The night embraces, secrets made.
Each line adds to the atmosphere—there’s a sense of quiet power, mystery, and connection to the night.
Step 4: Work the Repetition
Here’s where the pantoum really shines. For the second stanza, I repeated Lines 2 and 4 from the first stanza as Lines 1 and 3, and then added two new lines:
Stanza 2:Line 2: The colors dance as evening fades. (repeated)Line 5: I carry twilight’s velvet shade.Line 4: The night embraces, secrets made. (repeated)Line 6: In silence, shadows softly spread.
By repeating these lines, I started to deepen the meaning—like the night and the colors were taking on a life of their own.
Step 5: Keep the Momentum GoingI kept the poem going by sticking to the pattern. Each stanza repeated lines from the previous one while introducing new images and ideas. Here’s how it continued:
Stanza 3:
Line 5: I carry twilight’s velvet shade. (repeated)
Line 7: My presence felt, though words unsaid.
Line 6: In silence, shadows softly spread. (repeated
)Line 8: A mystery wrapped in gold and red.
By the time I got to the third stanza, the poem was really starting to feel like it had a rhythm of its own—almost like a dance.
Step 6: Bringing It Full Circle
To wrap things up, I brought the poem full circle by repeating the very first line in the final stanza. This gave the whole thing a sense of closure, but also left a bit of mystery hanging in the air:
Final Stanza:
Line 7: My presence felt, though words unsaid. (repeated)
Line 9: I move like fire, though cool as jade
Line 8: A mystery wrapped in gold and red. (repeated)
Line 1: I move through shadows in gold and red. (repeated)
Ending with that first line brought everything back around, making it feel like my journey through the night was never really over—just a continuous loop of moving through the dark in those vivid colors.
7: Fine-Tuning
Once the poem was done, I read it out loud a few times. The repetition needed to flow smoothly, so I made a few tweaks to make sure the rhythm was just right. The goal was to make the gold and red feel alive in every line, like you’re walking right alongside me in the shadows.
And that’s it! Writing this pantoum was all about playing with repetition and making those colors—gold and red—pop with each stanza. If you’re thinking about writing your own, just start with a strong image and let the pantoum’s structure guide you
It’s a fun way to create something that feels both intimate and a little mysterious. Give it a try!
Thanks for reading!
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