Hypertext Magazine asked Chris Green, editor of American Gun: A Poem by 100 Chicagoans, “Why did you use the pantoum form for this poem?”

By Chris Green

A pantoum is a poetic form where every line is repeated twice. I chose this form because its structure of repeating lines mirrors the semi-automatic firing of a weapon and also the seemingly endless cycle of shootings in Chicago. Though a pantoum isn’t necessarily intended to be written by a group, I assigned each poet a day to construct a four-line stanza that incorporates the rules of the pantoum where lines 2 and 4 of the previous stanza become lines 1 and 3 of the next stanza. Thus, each poet created two new lines based on the sense and sound of two lines inherited from the previous person. The poem’s recurring lines twine in and out of one another, and the result is a surprising song, a call and response, written both by its individual singers and the chorus.

I asked one-hundred poets from across Chicago to take turns writing. The poets range in age, gender, race, ethnicity, and poetic experience. Such well-known poets as Ed Hirsch, Haki Madhubuti, Ed Roberson, Marc Smith, Ana Castillo, and Kevin Coval write with teen poets from the South and West sides . . . many from the group Young Chicago Authors, but also young poets from Chicago’s alternative high schools, where statistically, students experience the most gun violence in the city.

In general, our country needs more truth, more collaboration—something like this poem where diverse people sing together in sanity and beauty. When politics fails us, poetry tells us we are not alone in our outrage and hope.

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Chris Green is the author of four books of poetry: The Sky Over Walgreens, Epiphany School, Résumé, and Everywhere West (Mayapple Press, 2019). His poetry has appeared in such publications as Poetry, The New York Times, Court Green, and Prairie Schooner. He’s a founding editor of Big Shoulders Books whose mission is to disseminate, free of charge, quality works of writing by and about Chicagoans whose voices might not otherwise be shared. He’s edited four anthologies including I Remember: Chicago Veterans of War and American Gun: A Poem by 100 Chicagoans (Big Shoulders Books, 2020). He teaches in the English Department at DePaul University. More information can be found at www.chrisgreenpoetry.com.