Analysis of Sick

Shel Silverstein 1930 (Chicago) – 1999



"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more—that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut—my eyes are blue—
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke—
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is—what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"


Scheme AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIJKKLLMNOOPPQARA
Poetic Form
Metre 11011101 11010101 11010001 01010101 11111111 11010111 11011111 11001101 01111101 01111111 11111111 11111 11010101 11111111 11111111 1101100 1111111 1111111 11111111 11010011 11111111 11010111 11110111 11111101 1111111 11001111 11111101 11010111 110101111 111111 11011100 11110111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,100
Words 242
Sentences 21
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 32
Lines Amount 32
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 809
Words per stanza (avg) 214
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Submitted by davidb on March 05, 2023

Modified by davidb on March 05, 2023

1:16 min read
299

Shel Silverstein

Sheldon Allan Silverstein was an American writer, poet, cartoonist, singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before being drafted into the United States Army. more…

All Shel Silverstein poems | Shel Silverstein Books

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