Analysis of Riding with Charon the Ferryman
Crossing the River Styx
With Charon as the ferryman,
They separate themselves
From the realm of the living
As they enter the portal
To a fading fossil fuel world.
Their bodies cool to the chilling wind,
Their heartbeats slowing as they
Travel downward so they
Can mine the carbon black diamonds
In gravel, in stones, in chunks
To bring to the surface
To heat hearths and homes.
Father and son traveling together,
Across the River Styx,
Breathing the vapors
of its poisonous water.
Coal dust. Fine yet gritty.
Blackening their lungs.
Stealing away their breath.
Gasping, coughing.
Paying the price for
Riding with Charon the Ferryman.
Scheme | ABXCXX XDDXXXX EAXEXXXC XB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 100101 11010100 11001 1011010 1110010 101010101 110110101 111011 101011 11010110 0100101 111010 11101 1001100010 010101 10010 1110010 111110 10011 100111 1010 10011 101100100 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 638 |
Words | 122 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 7, 8, 2 |
Lines Amount | 23 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 128 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 27 |
About this poem
I received an assignment to write a poem that used allusion. I've never written anything using allusion, so I found it challenging. I am from a family who has worked in the fossil fuel industry for several generations; however, I have a love-hate relationship with it. This exercise became both a tribute to my generations of coal miners as well as social conscience about our different worlds of energy.
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Written on September 07, 2022
Submitted by katyjsmith on January 01, 2023
Modified on March 23, 2023
- 36 sec read
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"Riding with Charon the Ferryman" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/150804/riding-with-charon-the-ferryman>.
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