Down by the pond

PHOTO PROMPT © CEAyr

down by the pond we used to swim
not a care in the world – us kids
in our youth we were full of vim
tried to catch some fish and squids

not a care in the world – us kids
swam with our dog and carabao
tried to catch some fish and squids
then we went home for some cacao

swam with our dog and carabao
now we’ve all grown up and apart
then we went home for some cacao
and they’re all still part of my heart

now we’ve all grown up and apart
in our youth we were full of vim
and they’re all still part of my heart
down by the pond we used to swim*

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

* The pantoum consists of a series of quatrains rhyming ABAB in which the second and fourth lines of a quatrain recur as the first and third lines in the succeeding quatrain; each quatrain introduces a new second rhyme as BCBC, CDCD. The first line of the series recurs as the last line of the closing quatrain, and third line of the poem recurs as the second line of the closing quatrain, rhyming ZAZA.

The design is simple:

Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4

Line 5 (repeat of line 2)
Line 6
Line 7 (repeat of line 4)
Line 8

Continue with as many stanzas as you wish, but the ending stanzathen repeats the second and fourth lines of the previous stanza (as its first and third lines), and also repeats the third line of the first stanza, as its second line, and the first line of the first stanza as its fourth. So the first line of the poem is also the last.

Last stanza:

Line 2 of previous stanza
Line 3 of first stanza
Line 4 of previous stanza
Line 1 of first stanza

For: Friday Fictioneers by Rochelle