Analysis of THE BLOODY OLD RAG

Phil Roberts 1957 (Melbourne)



There’s a tattered and bloody old rag
Which jingoists call to rejoice;
And racists and bigots all brag
For which millions have died, by free choice.

For millions, the banner has killed
Some claim that they all had to die;
Re corpses whose life it has stilled
Some will tell almost any old lie.

It’s a wicked old banner of hatred
That brings to the nation great shame;
Moth-riddled yet some over-rate
Pretending we should not ‘cept blame.

It’s a bloody old guidon of death
That teaches us all how to hate;
Till we speak evil with e'ery breath
All for bigotry we cannot sate.

It’s a worthless piece of the old
That keeps us from embracing the new;
And with every corpse that turns cold
We will sing for the Red, White, and Blue!

THE END
© Copyright 2021, Philip Roberts
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia


Scheme ABAB CDCD XEFE GFGF HIHI XXX
Poetic Form
Metre 101001011 111101 01001011 111011111 11001011 11111111 11011111 11111011 1010110110 11101011 11011101 01011111 10101111 11011111 11110111 111001101 10101101 111101001 011001111 111101101 01 101010 100100010
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 787
Words 145
Sentences 6
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3
Lines Amount 23
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 105
Words per stanza (avg) 24

About this poem

I hate national flags, which I see as banners of hate and an excuse to murder others! This poem refers specifically to the Australian National Flag!

Font size:
 

Written on December 01, 2012

Submitted by PHIL_ROBERTS on July 23, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

43 sec read
3

Phil Roberts

I turn 65 on the 31st of January 2022. I love cats, rock music, and horror fiction and poetry more…

All Phil Roberts poems | Phil Roberts Books

7 fans

Discuss this Phil Roberts poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "THE BLOODY OLD RAG" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/105566/the-bloody-old-rag>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    23
    hours
    47
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "The Waste Land"?
    A T.S. Eliot
    B Ezra Pound
    C W.H. Auden
    D Sylvia Plath