Analysis of There Is Still So Much To Hold On To
Japanese beetles devour the figs on our backyard fig tree
Their bodies compact, metallic, and green as emeralds
Though they cannot harm me
Two or three attack each time I approach
Certain their buzzing ferocity
Will scare away the strange predator
I try to kill them by drowning them
In a prolonged spray of soapy water
As they cluster on the ripening fruit
But few succumb
I grow weary of this battle and give in
The figs are doomed
Night walk with my dog
Rainfall breaks the turquoise gleam
Of the illuminated swimming pool
Ten thousand shards dance in the downpour
A shattered reflection of clubhouse windows
And patio lounge chairs
The rhythmic chirring of insects echoes in the trees
The dog starts to chase a rabbit I can’t even see
But the leash won’t let her
And I won’t let go of the leash
The rabbit is safe
Vanity lights burn brightly above the bathroom mirror
Revealing every wrinkle etched in my face
Every follicle of my thinning, greying hair
No signs of skin cancer on my face, a huge relief
But hard floors hurt my feet and my muscles ache
More than they ever used to
Out paddleboarding on the calm lagoon yesterday
I saw the sky below me and felt like I was flying
Life surged through me and gave me indescribable joy
There is still so much to hold on to
I’ve lived in places where retirement
Means waiting around to die
All of us, of course, are dying slowly
Still, I’m determined not to live in fear
And am in no hurry to meet death
I count every breath as an expression of gratitude
We may all be doomed
But I, for one, am not ready to surrender
Scheme | AXAXABXBXXXC XXXXXXXABXX BXXXXDXXXDXXAXXXCB |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 011001001110111 1101001001110 111011 1110111101 101100100 110101100 111111101 0001111010 1110101001 1101 11101110010 0111 11111 110101 100100101 110110010 0100101110 01011 01011110001 0111101011101 101110 01111101 01011 1001110010110 010100101011 1001001110101 1111101110101 11111101101 1111011 111010110 11010110111110 111101101001 111111111 1101010100 1100111 1111111010 1101011101 010110111 11100111010110 11111 111111101010 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,578 |
Words | 295 |
Sentences | 1 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 11, 18 |
Lines Amount | 41 |
Letters per line (avg) | 31 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 420 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 98 |
About this poem
What I'm living, thinking, and feeling these days.
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Written on September 19, 2022
Submitted by DougHaberman on September 19, 2022
Modified on April 09, 2023
- 1:28 min read
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"There Is Still So Much To Hold On To" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/140337/there-is-still-so-much-to-hold-on-to>.
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