Analysis of THE MOURNING SONG



I see a face outside my window
It’s a mirror of all life’s pain;
An echo of all my yesterdays
A silhouette from deep within my brain.

All around me children weep
As they see a new day dawning;
For the pain of life goes ever deep
And in their every move they’re mourning.

All the clerks and working class
Queue up in lines at railway stations;
While the old-aged and unemployed
Wait in line for pitiful rations.

Life has become a luxury
That so very few can still afford;
Yes, life has become sheer agony
For the billions, the teeming hordes.

Still the pollies in chauffeur-driven cars
Forge on with stern determination;
And console themselves in the knowledge
That they’re the backbone of this great nation.

THE END
© Copyright 2021, Philip Roberts
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia


Scheme XAXA BCBC XDXD EXEX XFXF XXX
Poetic Form
Metre 110111110 10101111 11011110 001110111 1011101 11101110 101111101 0011001110 1010101 11011110 1011001 101110010 11010100 111011101 111011100 10100101 101001101 11110010 010010010 110111110 01 101010 100100010
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 766
Words 137
Sentences 6
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3
Lines Amount 23
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 104
Words per stanza (avg) 23

About this poem

I wrote this poem c.1987, but that's all I can say for sure.

Font size:
 

Written on 1987

Submitted by PHIL_ROBERTS on July 02, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

41 sec read
4

Phil Roberts

 · 1957 · Melbourne

I turn 65 on the 31st of January 2022. I love cats, rock music, and horror fiction and poetry more…

All Phil Roberts poems | Phil Roberts Books

10 fans

Discuss this Phil Roberts poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "THE MOURNING SONG" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Nov. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/104022/the-mourning-song>.

    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!

    November 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    8
    days
    11
    hours
    38
    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?

    »
    Who wrote "I have taken the bones you hardened and built daughters"?
    A Lucille Clifton
    B Robert Hayden
    C Maya Angelou
    D Sylvia Plath