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:
- Each line must have eight syllables
- Each stanza has four lines each
- The first line must rhyme with the fourth, and the second must rhyme with the third
- The second line of each stanza must be used as the first line of the next stanza
- The fourth line of each stanza must be used as the third line of the next stanza
- The first line of the first stanza must be used as the last line of the last stanza