The Pantoums of Dementia

Movement I - Undulation

the seconds slowed to stop as Father passed,

when flocking sons returned to home to mourn,

then Mother’s mind began to break at last

as moments shed in threads she once had worn.

when flocking sons returned to home to mourn,

recast in lensing rays of age amassed

as moments shed in threads she once had worn

the Father’s sons adorned with clothes outcast.

recast in lensing rays of age amassed

a question, Mother, may I have a dance?

the Father’s sons adorned with clothes outcast

an offered hand through loops of time’s expanse.

a question, Mother, may I have a dance?

their Father knelt and tender took her hand,

an offered hand through loops of time’s expanse,

their final words in wilting hearts expand.

their Father knelt and tender took her hand,

the seconds slowed to stop as Father passed,

their final words in wilting hearts expand,

then Mother’s mind began to break at last.

Movement II - Rearrangement

remember now before the future fades,

the sutured minutes of memories held,

records replayed as grooving sound degrades,

advancing echoes, music notes dispelled.

the sutured minutes of memories held:

now twirling dance, oh younger selves, entrance

advancing echoes, music notes dispelled

through silent waltz that swells with last romance.

now twirling dance, oh younger selves, in trance

with candled spells of woven hands that grasp

through silent waltz that swells with last romance

of eyes reshaping molds, the fated clasp.

with candled spells of woven hands that grasp

relapsing moments sung by bells and crowds

of eyes, reshaping molds the fated clasp

of past refrains now sealed beneath the clouds.

relapsing moments sung by bells and crowds

concealed by crumbling walls, demented shades

of past refrains now sealed beneath these clouds

that clutter skies in swarms that stretch decades.

concealed by crumbling walls, demented shades

(remember now before the future fades)

invade the hollowed mind as scream pervades

records replayed as grooving sound degrades.

Movement III - Dissolution

remember ancillary note sentries:

the good can decay many ways.

phantom morrow’s cough. in times realize

the mention there of tenant seasons.

the good candy came anyways;

all target the damaged mind in trance,

(the men shun their often antsy sons)

the flow ingrained decomposes.

altar, get the damn aged mind, entrance

memory erstwhile, foe kissing;

the flowing rain eddy composes

another ushered

memo rehearsed while focusing

an aim, wintry slight, upward ingrown

an other us heard

the fading names of suns.

a name when trees light up, warding grown

remembrance, ill airy notes in trees,

the fading names of sons

fan tomorrow’s coffin, time’s real eyes.

• June 2025

Submission History

Date	Publication	Status
June 1, 2025	Tabula Rasa	Rejected
June 1, 2025	The Louisville Review	Rejected
June 3, 2025	Frontier Poetry	Pending
June 4, 2025	Swan Scythe Press	Rejected
June 6, 2025	Boulevard Magazine	Pending
June 12, 2025	Merion West	Rejected
June 25, 2025	The Aftershock Review	Pending
July 10, 2025	The Metaworker	Pending
August 12, 2025	Scribeworth (Movement I)	Accepted
August 15, 2025	Little Patuxent Review	Pending
August 15, 2025	Smartish Pace	Rejected
August 16, 2025	American Poetry Review	Rejected
August 16, 2025	Missouri Review	Rejected
August 22, 2025	Glass	Pending
August 26, 2025	Gavialidae	Rejected
August 27, 2025	Sligo Creek Publishing	Pending
August 29, 2025	Dogwood Poetry Contest	Pending
September 9, 2025	Garfield Lake Review	Accepted
October 12, 2025	New Feathers Anthology	Rejected
October 12, 2025	Cosmic Daffodil	Rejected
November 24, 2025	Artists from Maryland	Rejected

Responses

Dear Grant Moore,

On behalf of the editorial board of the Garfield Lake Review, I am happy to write that we have accepted Eulogy/Larksong/The Pantoums of Dementia/Ode to Death/The Origin of Lies for publication in our 2026 edition!

Thank you for your contribution to our growing journal. We are pleased to publish your work in this years edition.

If you require any further edits to your piece, please reach out directly to our Editor in Chief, Logan Schreiber, at lschreiber@uolivet.edu. If we should need any edits to your piece, a team member will be in touch with you after acceptance. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please let me know.

—Logan Schreiber, Editor in Chief

Grant,

We’re excited to let you know that your poem, “Dementia: Movement I,” has been selected for publication in the Winter 2025 issue of Scribeworth Magazine. Thank you for sharing your work with us—it’s an honor to showcase your voice.

To accompany your piece, we’d love to include a photo of you (a headshot is preferred) alongside your author bio. When you get a moment, please email it to submissions@scribeworth.com.

—The Scribeworth Editorial Team

This rejection is in regards to “The Pantoums of Dementia.” We’re so sorry we could not bring you better news; we know firsthand how difficult it is to put yourself and your writing out there.

These were some of the critiques that our team had for “The Pantoums of Dementia”:

“While I love this collection, their meanings, and their structures, I do not feel the average reader will connect strongly with these pieces. The lines are a little convoluted, which is evidently intentional, but I feel the audience will grow frustrated with it, rather than engage further.”

“This is a really interesting approach, and I got chills at the end of the first poem. I’m not sure the third is as strong, but I also think the disjunct nature/images and change in voice/word choice are very fitting when you consider the subject. I think that viewed as a whole, this is a powerful piece.”

“The language used does not appeal to me nor makes this easy to digest for the common reader. I love the concept of this poem and find it unique, but it does not fully immerse me.”

“I like the pantoum form, but it’s very tricky to do well and not get frustrated with the repetition. Dementia is a clever way to use repetition, but the elevated vocabulary matched with formal structure distances the emotion of the poem. I’d recommend trying a more colloquial tone in the pantoum form.”

Overall, we did enjoy your submission and encourage you to submit again!

—The Editorial Team at Tabula Rasa Review

Dear Grant,

The Pantoums of Dementia is/are my favorite. I enjoy reading the poems of artists who take on the challenge of “form.”

“The formal systems that structure experience.” Amazing!!!!

I apologize for the delay in responding to your submission. I am the new Arts Editor for Merion West, and we are in transition.

This set of poems is not quite right for Merion West at this point. Please submit again. I am a poet; I submit to journals and magazines regularly. Keep moving forward.

Thank you for submitting your work to Merion West. We wish you the best in your writing.

—Kind Regards, Austin Allen James