Round Round

In the grounds of the roundhouse, some time after dawn,
there’s the sound of a small yet almighty machine –
Gardener Gordon’s out, mowing the circular lawn!
Pigeons watch from the poplars, their amber eyes keen.

There’s the sound of a small yet almighty machine
with a motor rotating a swift-spinning blade –
pigeons watch from the poplars, their amber eyes keen;
squirrels smile as they twirl in the neighbouring glade!

With a motor rotating a swift-spinning blade,
Gardener Gordon’s quite quick to complete his first chore;
squirrels smile as they twirl in the neighbouring glade,
while a spiralling flock of rooks calls to him: “Cor!”

Gardener Gordon’s quite quick to complete his first chore;
let’s turn on an electric ring, start making teas,
while a spiralling flock of rooks calls to him: “Cor!” –
there’ll be biscuits for all, on a plate, choc and cheese!

Let’s turn on an electric ring, start making teas;
Gardener Gordon’s out, mowing the circular lawn!
There’ll be biscuits for all, on a plate, choc and cheese,
in the grounds of the roundhouse, some time after dawn.

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Published in The Dirigible Balloon, March 2025

Featured Poem in The HyperTexts, April 2026

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I first came across the pantoum form on PoetBay.com, a fairly modest poetry-sharing site. Occasionally one of the staff members would post about a particular form, and poets could give it a go if they wished. I was quite taken with the pantoum, and the first one I put together was accepted by Mike Burch for The HyperTexts back in July 2021! Since then, I've written a few more, continuing to enjoy the process.

 

At some stage, I thought it might be fun to write a pantoum with a strong emphasis on round things, and ‘Round Round’ was the result. It’s essentially a rounded-out version of what happens here every week​​. While I was writing it, I became dizzy! There is a lot of twirling.

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Next: The Lost Garden