Ating long nait bai mi sala 
Olsem kanu long solwara 
Driman i sakim han blong mi
Surukim em isiisi 
Umbeng igo nating, basta!
             Eh, mi seksek!

Dispela tok-singsing mi raitim emi makim stret  wanpela hanmak bilong tok-singing we ol French i givim nem rondeau. Ol arere toktok bilong wanwan blok igatim wankain nek olsem aabba / abbR / aabbaR, na tu bai wanwan lain toktok igatim fopela kain liklik hap nek i mekim kamap eitpela pairap taim yu toktok.

Mi kisim tingting long raitim dispela tok-singsing taim mi ridim tok-singsing bilong Dennis K Belas, long mun Novemba long 2019. Bihain mi tingting long ol sampela kain wok long tanim dispela hanmak rondeau tok-singsing ikamap long Tok Pisin. Em nau dispela emi nambawan rondeau mi raitim long Tok Pisin.

Mi ting olsem stori tu ia emi kamautim wanpela kain longlong tingting we ating ol man meri isave long Tok Pisin bai ridim na bagarap long lap, o nogat bai sampela tu igat liklik bel kaskas. Em iken olsem na mi ino wari tumas, laka.

Och, Ah’m crazy

MICHAEL DOM

Och, Ah’m crazy for that woman
Ma legs, ma hands, ma heart spasms
Whenever her mouth says ma name
When she looks into ma eyes, the same,
Ma bones turn into ectoplasm!

Oh mother please, ma heart spasms
For that juicy, hot n’ spicy dame
But Ah don’t think she feels the same
              Och, Ah’m crazy!

At night ma sleep is savoury
A boat adrift on moonlit seas
Seduced by dreams, ma hands will try
To reach for her, sleeping gently
That net Ah cast, it breaks, damn me!
              Och, Ah’m crazy!

This poem was written in Tok Pisin using the traditional French form rondeau. The most obvious features are the rhyme scheme aabba / abbR / aabbaR, and tetrameter lines. (Note: The rhyme scheme is not adhered to in the final stanza of the English version of the poem although the tetrameter pattern has been maintained.)

The idea for this poem arose from a comment I made after reading a Tok-singsing by Dennis K Belas in November 2019. After that I spent some time thinking about how I might construct a rondeau in Tok Pisin. This is the first Tok Pisin rondeau I have penned.

I think the story here reveals infatuated fantasy which is quite amusing to portray in Tok Pisin, although others might feel less delighted. I’m not too concerned either way.