Analysis of Spiral Staircase

Sarah Brower 1995 (New Jersey)



At the top
Of a twisted staircase
Looking down
At the bottom step

The first step I take
I feel the tension rise
My toes cringe
My hands clam
My mind
A broken flashlight

Down another step I go
And I feel a rush
Through my veins

That person
I always avoided
Is now haunting
Me

I hurt her deeply
Thoughtless words
Stabbing knives
I punctured her stability

Half way down
My body has calmed
Stopping on that middle step
I take a seat
With a breath
Continuing down
The spiral steps

Third to last step
I look behind
How far I came
Braver than I thought

Why dwell on
That very first step
It's all behind me
Said and done

This is it
I reached the bottom
I smiled and thought
Well done

I climbed my mountains
And yes it was hard
But with effort
And fearlessness
I won


Scheme XABC XXXXDX XXX EXXF FXXF BXCXXBX CDXG XCFE XXGE XXXAE
Poetic Form Tetractys  (53%)
Metre 101 10101 101 10101 01111 110101 111 111 11 0101 1010111 01101 111 110 11010 1110 1 11010 101 101 11000100 111 11011 1011101 1101 101 01001 0101 1111 1101 1111 10111 111 11011 11011 101 111 11010 1101 11 11110 01111 1110 01 11
Closest metre Iambic dimeter
Characters 778
Words 171
Sentences 1
Stanzas 10
Stanza Lengths 4, 6, 3, 4, 4, 7, 4, 4, 4, 5
Lines Amount 45
Letters per line (avg) 13
Words per line (avg) 3
Letters per stanza (avg) 61
Words per stanza (avg) 15

About this poem

This poem is about self discovery through the chaos and imperfections. Without allowing oneself to get in the way.

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Written on November 03, 2023

Submitted by on November 03, 2023

51 sec read
59

Sarah Brower

I love to express myself through poetry. I can’t force inspiration so I only write when I feel moved. Authenticity is important to me!! If I can make anyone feel heard and understood, Then my goal is accomplished. more…

All Sarah Brower poems | Sarah Brower Books

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