The stillness outside has brought silence inside.
Both pile up against the rattling window.
Our freezing spirits gather ‘round the non-existent flame,
longing for the warmth that was.

Both pile up against the rattling window.
The popping of the windows, silk daggers on my skin,
longing for the warmth that was.
The frost creeps along. Is that the breath of the end?

The popping of the windows, silk daggers on my skin.
The fire is demoted to candlelight.
The frost creeping along–is that the breath of the end?
Warmth is a memory of fading summers.

The fire is demoted to candlelight.
Our freezing spirits gather round the non-existent flame.
Warmth is a memory of fading summers.
The stillness outside has brought the silence inside.

Biography:

A pantoum is a poetic form composed of quatrains and a strict pattern of repetition. It originated in Malaysia in the 15th century and re-emerged in 19th century France thanks to writers like Victor Hugo and Charles Beaudelaire. For Creative Writing classes, I start the semester with formal poems like the Pantoum because they can be written not just by a single poet but by partners or even a group. This poem was written on the first day of Spring semester, January 2025. The class suggested “Cold, -7” as a title because that was the actual temperature outside! Students split into partners to write a single line of poetry on this topic. I typed out lines as they were handed to me, slotting them in to follow the pantoum pattern. Students then rearranged the lines to see how they might work together to create meaning (ie, to create poetry). Totally unplanned, a theme of loneliness or impending death emerged. References to “candlelight,” “the nonexistent flame” and “warmth…fading” arose organically, and the poem just fell into place.

These are the poets of Spring 2025 ENG 2021 (Intro to Creative Writing):

Kyra Andersen

Emmery Bonnell

Alissa Booth

Miguel Castro Guerrero

Caleb Eddy

Matty Garrett

Marian Hesse

Dominic Kenyon

Elizabeth Laux

Sonia Loma Arteaga

Riley Plantt

Lindsay Ross

John Quincy Thompson

Mason Vargas

Jennifer York