The Peace River Pantoums
I wrote several poems in the form of a pantoum while in the Peace River part of British Columbia.
The pantoum is Malayan in origin and came into English language poetry from France. Victor Hugo gave it fashion and popularity in his book ‘Orientales’.
The pantoum is unusual among strict forms in that it is not of a specified length. It works by quatrains. The quatrains are repeated and the patterns within them are required. The reader takes four steps forward, then two back. It is the perfect form for the evocation of past time.
The pantoum can easily enchant because the close repletion of lines sets up a tight, mesmerizing chain of echoes of time and place.
I chose this form for four Peace River Poems. Here is one of them.
In this poem about Ernie Petersen, the fur trader and trading post owner at Rose Prairie, whom I got to know in the 1960s I need to translate some words: “I want some jawbone” would mean “I want some credit.” “Jawed trade” means “talked business”.
Ernie Petersen, Trader At Rose Prairie.
The buyer and trapper jawed trade
“What’s fur fetching at the Winnipeg auction?”
At Rose Prairie the deals was made
At the wood burning stove with caution
“What’s fur fetching at the Winnipeg auction?”
Cold winter makes pelt with heft.
The buyer fingers a beaver with caution.
“You’ve got four winters of debts still left.”
Cold winter makes pelt with heft
He checks account ledgers for bills overdo.
At jawing for credit the trapper was deft
“I needs credit for more than just stew.”
The buyer checks account ledgers for bills overdo.
The trapper needs wire, bullets, sugar, sour dough.
Doesn’t think of account ledgers or bills overdo
For a night with Maxime he’s in need of some dough.
The trapper needs wire, bullets, sugar, sour dough.
The buyer pours the brewed coffee and stokes the wood stove.
Says synthetic fur drove the auction real low.
Celebrities protested before the fur market dove.
He pours the brewed coffee and stokes the wood stove.
They chat about beaver, lynx and grey fox.
He tops up the mugs from the whisky alcove.
Talks of kids, dogs, and women and child lost to pox.
They chat about beaver, lynx and grey fox.
They share season from cabins, and tales of trap line.
They share bannock and bacon and butter from box
Of seasons they talk when barter was fine.
They share season from cabins and tales of trap line.
Chewing tobacco and snuff dark and sweet
Buyer puts on the table of old naughty pine.
Then he sharpens a knife to serve some moose meet.
The buyer and trapper jawed trade.
