Analysis of Duckling Nearly Dies in Drainage Ditch in Tanzania



It is hard to explain why I felt so panicked
as I watched the duckling float swiftly downstream,
far, far away from its mother.

Perhaps I panicked because I was in a foreign land
traipsing along dusty, unfamiliar roads.

Perhaps it was because I live a life
of metaphor, simile, allegory, and alliteration.

I saw the mother duck
struggle against the current to rescue
her wayward duckling.
This mother duck seemed symbolic of the plight
of the African Mother;

Struggling against the current to save her family.

I came to a realization:
she was symbolic of all mothers,
of all nationalities, of all colours,
of all shapes, of all sizes.
All mothers,
who share the sole commonality that their calling is to struggle;

Struggle against the current to save their families.


Scheme XXA XB XC XXXXA X CDBXDX X
Poetic Form Tetractys  (25%)
Metre 111101111110 11101011011 11011110 01110011100101 1001100101 0111011101 1100110000100 110101 1001010110 01010 11011010101 1010010 10001010110100 11101010 110101110 110100111 1111110 110 1101010011101110 1001010111100
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 747
Words 131
Sentences 8
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 3, 2, 2, 5, 1, 6, 1
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 31
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 88
Words per stanza (avg) 19
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Submitted on May 01, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

39 sec read
1

Mwalimu

My name is Theresa, I love to write and read poetry. My favourite poet is Billy Collins. I am mainly inspired to write by everyday happenings or feelings, and I often write with some humour or sarcasm. My travel experiences have also influenced my writing, some of my favourite places to travel have been Cuba, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa. I was born in Canada but I am now living and teaching in the Middle East. Please feel free to leave comments or suggestions on any of my poems. more…

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