Elephant in the Room
A mockโoperatic pantoum in which a couple argue with great seriousness while ignoring the obvious.
Pardon? What did you say? I didnโt hear.
I am sure you are going deaf.
There is nothing wrong with my hearing, dear.
Iโd check it out if I were you.
I am sure you are going deaf.
There is a pink elephant in the room.
Iโd check it out if I were you.
I canโt find the dustpan or broom.
There is a pink elephant in the room.
I trust you are still taking your pills.
I canโt find the dustpan or broom.
Theyโre in the cupboard behind the soap sud refills.
I trust you are still taking your pills.
You never listen to a word I say.
Theyโre in the cupboard behind the soap sud refills.
Why is there a pink elephant in the room?
You never listen to a word I say.
There is nothing wrong with my hearing, dear.
Why is there a pink elephant in the room?
Pardon? What did you say? I didnโt hear.
โLesley Scoble, September 2026
Audio – Elephant in the Room ๐ต
I wrote Elephant in the Room in response to Poet-of-the-Week Reena Saxenaโs excellent prompt for the W3 Poetry Prompt #228. You can read her full pantoum guidelines below.
Reenaโs Prompt: Pantoum
This week, I invite you to explore the music of repetition by writing a pantoum on any theme or subject.
A pantoum unfolds in four-line stanzas, with each stanza carrying two lines into the next:
- The second line becomes the first line of the next stanza.
- The fourth line becomes the third line of the next stanza.
- Add new lines in the second and fourth positions, letting the repeated lines gather fresh meaning in their new surroundings.
Continue for as many stanzas as you like. To bring the poem full circle, the final stanza traditionally uses the opening stanzaโs third line as its second line, and the poemโs opening line as its closing line.
For inspiration, read my pantoum, โPockets of Happinessโ. Explore this guide to writing a pantoum, and try this handy pantoum-writing tool to keep your repeating lines in place.
Let your lines returnโand see what new meanings they gather along the way!
Thank you, Reena, for your inspiration.
Thank you, David, for your encouragement and support.
And thank you, the reader, for stopping by.
I wish to express my sympathy in memory of all who suffered in the 9/11 Twin Towers attack.
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