Analysis of Billy Collins steals from another poet’s work (but gentlemanly)



You are the bread and the knife.
You are the goblet and the wine…

You are the sun
Over the pregnant pasture.
You are the birds
Playing over the Town Square.

But…
Also NOT like the smell of the rose
Not at all like that.
Not like the velveteen blanket
To the touch, why
I feel your hands, hesitantly.
Somewhat like that pigeon
Perched on the general’s head
Or the odd person
Under the bridge.
Repeating a phrase, like a mantra.

The comparisons keep getting worse
And more hilarious
For the listeners.
Title of poem: Litany.


Scheme XX AXXX BXXBXCAXAXX XXXC
Poetic Form
Metre 1101001 11010001 1101 1001010 1101 1010011 1 101101101 11111 110110 1011 11111000 111110 1101001 10110 1001 010011010 001001101 010100 10100 10110100
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 562
Words 113
Sentences 11
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 2, 4, 11, 4
Lines Amount 21
Letters per line (avg) 20
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 103
Words per stanza (avg) 24

About this poem

All in good humour. Takes the love poet’s long established comparison format. You are the this; you are the that.

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Written on March 21, 2023

Submitted by dougb.19255 on March 21, 2023

Modified by dougb.19255 on March 21, 2023

33 sec read
18

Wayne Blair

Born in London. Graduated law 1976 Practised eleven years, Married Hilary 1974 Two kids Lauren 1980 And Jordan 1987. Business failed 1987. Moved not knowing whither. Happy hills of Waterloo Region. Mennonite Country. Thirty four years in Industry. No complaints. Poet, photographer, nature hiker. Harmonica busker. http://puffnchord7.blogspot.com/ more…

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