Paralysis



A row of tidy houses knocks at the windows.
A dull drum dum-dums in the back of my mind.
My bed is soft and comforting;
I let the visitors go unmet.

A cookie tin is abandoned by the door--
Dusty crumpets saved from British tea.
The chimes resonate once they're gone.
I wonder for whom they're singing.

Carolers are in the alley,
Leafing through the trash for naughty nuggets.
Newspaper balls are congealed unreadable,
Tied to string they decorate an evergreen.

My answering machine yawns hello.
Don't tell it how you are; no one's listening.
I'm playing chess with Lazarus
And baking brownies in the basement.
Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 01, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

33 sec read
4

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXAX XBXA BXXX XAXX
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 594
Words 106
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

Discuss the poem Paralysis with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Paralysis" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/81466/paralysis>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    More poems by

    Shannon Marie Meyerhoff

    »

    October 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    0
    days
    4
    hours
    45
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    A poem consisting of 14 lines, typically with a specific rhyme scheme, is called a _______.
    A sonnet
    B haiku
    C epic
    D limerick