Analysis of Drowning
The freefall backwards is just the beginning.
All is white, roaring confusion.
For what seems like hours,
I am flung about.
Hungry for air, I push towards the surface,
only to find there is no surface,
just swell on swell on swell
hurrying me deeper.
I swirl relentlessly searching for the light,
the pressure in my chest rising,
my lungs bursting, gasping.
I’m drowning – drowning.
What made me think I could ride these crystal waves?
Why had I ventured out so deep?
Why had I not seen what
monstrous force was swelling?
Everything had moved to a point of impact.
The oncoming wave had unfurled
with such force of water,
it had engulfed me.
Seeing an open corridor, I had lunged,
plunging hard over the first peak,
but seeing fear on fear
glimpsing what lay beyond.
Now, drowning, out of control, my mind frenzied,
panicking – threshing arms and legs.
Desperately I search
for the open sky.
But … then I remember … my leg rope … tugging,
pulling at my ankles, begging
to be lifted up
like an annoying child.
With one, last furious kick, I lunge, plunging
deeper – deeper down to retrieve
the leg-rope before
surging to the surface.
As I break through to open sky, my lips part.
Water pours in, pushing me down -
deeper, more deep I go –
I’m drowning – drowning.
Again, I surge, urging my body to live,
pushing with all my might to fight
back up to the surface,
and breathe air’s sweetness.
Convulsing, spluttering, I gasp – exhausted.
I am spent, and the sea is spent.
The set of waves has passed,
and I am alive.
As I look up at the star sprinkled, night sky,
my board bobs nearby unconcerned -
like a seagull on the
skin of the ocean.
Night surfing - never again!
Scheme | abxx ccxd eaaA xxxa xxdx xxxx xxxf aaxx axxc xxxA gecc xxxg fxxbx |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0110110010 11110010 111110 11101 10111101010 101111110 111111 100110 11010010101 01001110 111010 11010 11111111101 11110111 111111 101110 1011101101 0101101 111110 11011 10110100111 10110011 110111 11101 11011011110 1001101 100011 10101 11101011110 10111010 11101 110101 11110011110 10101101 01101 101010 11111101111 10101011 101111 11010 01111011011 10111111 111010 01110 1111010 11100111 011111 01101 11111011011 1111101 10110 11010 1101001 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,705 |
Words | 357 |
Sentences | 25 |
Stanzas | 13 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5 |
Lines Amount | 53 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 99 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 24 |
About this poem
I have experienced this - i hope I never do again!
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Written on April 04, 2021
Submitted by susannaelliott on April 19, 2024
Modified by susannaelliott on April 19, 2024
- 1:47 min read
- 6 Views
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"Drowning" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 17 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/185627/drowning>.
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