The disadvantage to living inside a house is that you have to go to a window to see the moon. Bricks and mortar aren't transparent - they might be in a house of the future, but we're not in the future yet, and most houses of the future built these days have things like panels with flashing lights on that speak to you built into the wall, fridges with internets, and underwear that monitors your teenage daughter, not transparent walls and ceilings. A compromise has to be made. Namely, not seeing the sky for the sake of structural integrity and shelter if you want a half-decent house to live in. Nevertheless, if the moon's really high in the sky, you're going to have to crane your neck to see it; if the moon is dead overhead you might have to open the window all the way, and stick your head out to get a good look. And that's OK, really. Hell, if you wanted to, you could just turn the TV onto the moon channel, or get one of those live MoonCams for your desktop.

But just sometimes don't you want to burn it down? Burn it all down? Do you ever dream of having nothing?

Burn down your house. See the moon.

Burn down the house. See the Moon

"Come, burn down your house. See the moon,"
The crafty witch taunted Estelle.
"Have you wonders, potions to sell?"
Estelle asked her, perhaps too soon.

The crafty witch taunted Estelle
with visions of freedom in June.
Estelle asked her, perhaps too soon,
"But you spoke of burning, please tell!"

With visions of freedom in June,
Her heart in her breast starts to swell
"But you spoke of burning. Please tell
the answer I seek, or I'll swoon!"

Her heart in her breast starts to swell.
The witch, mocking her, starts to croon,
"'The answer I seek, or I'll swoon?'
Can't have that, can we? Very well..."

The witch, mocking her, starts to croon,
"Your man won't be fixed by a spell,
can't have that? Can we? Very well,
here's one way to leave that buffoon.

"Your man won't be fixed by a spell
my charms don't work on the rough-hewn.
Here's one way to leave that buffoon,
If your pretty house is a hell

"My charms don't work on the rough-hewn,
but I've got elixirs to sell,
if your pretty house is a hell,
then wrinkles, white hair a cocoon."

"But I've got elixirs to sell,"
dreamlike, the girl picks up the tune,
"Then wrinkles, white hair. A cocoon;
Old flesh is where, waiting, I'll dwell"

Dreamlike, the girl picks up the tune;
a crafty old witch named Estelle.
"Old flesh is where, waiting, I'll dwell.
Come, burn down your house. See the moon!"


This is my first attempt at a pantoum. I tried to write it the strictest sense possible following these rules:

  1. Each line must have eight syllables
  2. Each stanza has four lines each
  3. The first line must rhyme with the fourth, and the second must rhyme with the third
  4. The second line of each stanza must be used as the first line of the next stanza
  5. The fourth line of each stanza must be used as the third line of the next stanza
  6. The first line of the first stanza must be used as the last line of the last stanza

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