This is the format of a pantoum in case you don't know:
Stanza 1:
Line 1 a
Line 2 b
Line 3 a
Line 4 b
Stanza 2:
Line 5 (repeat of line 2 in stanza 1) b
Line 6 (new line) a
Line 7 (repeat of line 4 in stanza 1) b
Line 8 (new line) a
Stanza 3/Last Stanza (This is the format for the last stanza regardless of how many preceding stanzas exist):
Line 9 (line 2 of the previous stanza) b
Line 10 (line 3 of the first stanza) a
Line 11 (line 4 of the previous stanza) a
Line 12 (line 1 of the first stanza) a
Read My Lips
You can’t see I’m not this person
I feel like a ventriloquist
I can tell you wouldn’t like that version
Hiding behind the doll was safest
I feel like a ventriloquist
Not meaning the words I’ve woven
Hiding behind the doll was safest
So you never suspected my treason
Not meaning the words I’ve woven
You’d be proud, on the best teacher I’ve practiced
So you never suspected my treason
Don’t get too attached, I’m merely a tourist
You’d be proud, on the best teacher I’ve practiced
I can tell you wouldn’t like that version
Don’t get too attached, I’m merely a tourist
Why can’t you see I’m not this person?
Wow, I loved this. I've never seen this format before but I'll definitely try it for my next poem. I also thought the ventriloquist simile was brilliant because it was a twist in the 'hiding behind a mask' cliche. Great poem, well done.