Atomic Pantoum
The pantoum is a poem of any length, composed of four-line stanzas in which the second and fourth lines of each stanza serve as the first and third lines of the next stanza. The last line of a pantoum is often the same as the first. “Atomic Pantoum” by Peter Meinke angrily reflects on the human fascination with destruction, specifically focusing on the power of nuclear weapons. Not only this, but he also discusses portrays that everyone wants to harm their enemies and yet they are dying in the process
Get Kira Martin’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Within the third stanza it says, “Blow open some others, and choirs will crumble, and start this all over, with eyes burned to ashes,” (Meinke 258). The statement of “with eyes burned to ashes” seals in this thought of self-harm while doing harm to others. This depicts the main concept of everyone wanting to harm their enemies, yet they still are suffering while in the process of doing that.
Another stanza where this concept of harming others while we ourselves is being harmed, is depicted within the second to last stanza. Meinke writes, “With plutonium trigger, curls and tightened, we are dying to use it, torching our enemies,” (Meinke 258). Here it is depicted that we are excited to use these terrible destructive weapons, but again Meinke specifically uses the word “dying.” He makes sure to use this line to almost foreshadow the consequences if we are ever to use these kinds of weapons.
Gotera, Vince. “The Pantoum’s Postcolonial Pedigree.” An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art. Edited by Annie Finch and Kathrine Varnes. U of Michigan P, 2002, pp. 254–261.
