*

Dennis Daly writes: “Originating in Malay prior to the 15th century the pantoum probably developed from an oral tradition of rhythmic and repetitive rowing songs. Early pantoums were very short, but modern ones require no set number of stanzas. The following poem is included in Pantoums, my sixth book, recently accepted for publication by Dos Madres Press.”

Solitaire

Dennis Daly

Again the word begins a world

With dawn and dusk and in-between.

The breath of life both grew, then swirled,

Awakened me from quarantine.

With dawn and dusk and in-between

The Ghost of Cause from north somewhere

Awakened me from quarantine

Like a gem set, a solitaire.

The Ghost of Cause from north somewhere

A conscious thought he etches out

Like a gem set, a solitaire,

A singularity, no doubt.

A conscious thought he etches out

The breath of life both grew, than swirled.

A singularity, no doubt.

Again the word begins a world.

— Dennis Daly

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