I wrote this series of poems a little while back, ask me about it if you’re interested. I suspect far too many people have heard me say that at open stage gigs. Anyway, a discussion came up elseweb of pantoums and I thought I would post this one as I’m fond of it.
Apart from the fact that it made it into the second chapbook I wrote “From the Fool to the World”, it presents the character of the Hierophant in two different lights. The second light comes when you rotate the entire poem forward half a line.
V – The Hierophant
To the King of mortal spirit, his shining heart speaks
The unfolding laws of his soul, standing before the gates
Of saintly glorious Paradise, he whose feet first defined
The Way of Enlightenment, that others may follow
The unfolding laws of his soul, standing before the gates
Behind their spiritual leader, partaking in a pilgrimage
The Way of Enlightenment, that others may follow
Going beyond solitary belief, he dares speak out loud
Behind their spiritual leader, partaking in a pilgrimage
Of the Higher Right Hand, he shares the bounty
Going beyond solitary belief, dares speak out loud
Pronouncing purest bright joy, the masses entreat their souls
Of the Highest Right Hand, he shares the bounty
Of saintly glorious Paradise, he whose feet first defined
Pronouncing pure bright joy, the masses entreat their souls
To the King of mortal spirit, his shining heart speaks.
So, there’s the pantoum. Now, the same poem, half a line forward, remember that the ideas, and therefore the images, are punctuated by the line breaks. It’s not a pantoum but it is a different poem.
To the King of mortal spirit
his shining heart speaks the unfolding laws of his soul
standing before the gates of saintly glorious Paradise
he whose feet first defined the Way of Enlightenment
that others may follow the unfolding laws of his soul
standing before the gates behind their spiritual leader
partaking in a pilgrimage the Way of Enlightenment
that others may follow going beyond solitary belief
he dares speak out loud behind their spiritual leader
partaking in a pilgrimage of the Higher Right Hand
he shares the bounty going beyond solitary belief
dares speak out loud pronouncing purest bright joy
the masses entreat their souls of the Highest Right Hand
he shares the bounty of saintly glorious Paradise
he whose feet first defined pronouncing pure bright joy
the masses entreat their souls to the king of mortal spirit
his shining heart speaks…
