Analysis of My Death
I was the first to hold her
Mother exhausted
Asleep moments following the birth
She fit in the palm of my hand
I held her tiny, warm body against mine
Looking upon her
looking into a mirror
Our blood is a part of one another
This comforted me
The following years were full of love
An ever-present emotion embodied us completely
No matter the distance, a connection
Never to be broken
Her eighteenth birthday was approaching
We had been avoiding each other for days
Each seemed an eternity
Late one night the phone rang
With tones harsh and relentless
A time when a call comes only
Bearing words of trouble or tragedy
Unable to calm myself
Knowing I must answer her call
Before answering
My thoughts were filled
With guilt and punishment
How could I have allowed her
To be the one to shift before me
Bearing witness to
Our recently fractured connection
Reaching out to me with courage
I answered the call
It was not her
But my identical twin brother
With a message firm and non-negotiable
“It is time to speak with your niece”
Phone in hand
Sitting in the quiet
I could not respond
He repeated himself
Then hung up on my silence
We meet at her parent’s home
Outside in the quiet
Undisturbed
No distractions
We began where we left off
Each grounded in our own position
Struggling to listen
Defensiveness reigning
Unwilling to compromise
We surrendered to the impasse
Agreeing to postpone for another day
Despite all
Without hesitation
She expressed her unwavering love
But I was stubborn and prideful
No forgiveness or compassion within me
I lowered my head and said nothing.
She turned away and hurried into the house
Crying out to her mother
“He won’t say I love you”
I stood frozen with unbearable sadness
All sense of reality gone
Our connection severed
She was sobbing
I could feel her torment
It coursed through my body
Penetrating my soul
Our connection now
A lightning bolt of pain
I turned and walked away.
I died that day
Scheme | AXX BXAAAC DCEE FXC XXCCGH FXX ACIEX HAAXX BJXGX XJXX XEEF XXK HEDHCF XAI XXX FXCX XXK K |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101110 10010 011010001 11001111 11010110011 10010 1001010 10110111010 11001 010010111 110100100101010 1100100010 101110 00111010 11101011011 1110100 111011 1110010 01101110 1011101100 010111 10111001 01100 1101 110100 1111010 110111011 10101 1010010010 10111110 11001 1110 110100110 10101010100 11111111 101 100010 11101 101001 1111110 1110101 110010 01 1010 1011111 1100101010 100110 010010 010110 10101001 01010110101 011 01010 101001001 1111001 10101010011 110110110 11010100101 1011010 111111 11101010010 111101 1001010 1110 11101 111110 10011 100101 010111 110101 1111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,970 |
Words | 373 |
Sentences | 3 |
Stanzas | 18 |
Stanza Lengths | 3, 6, 4, 3, 6, 3, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 6, 3, 3, 4, 3, 1 |
Lines Amount | 71 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 87 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 19 |
About this poem
An experience I had with a family member that left me in great pain and sorrow. Expressing it has opened the door for learning and closure.
Font size:
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"My Death" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/165999/my-death>.
Discuss this Daniel Saul poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In