Analysis of Duty of Passion
Paul White 1978 (Joliet)
I. the man trekked with a humbled mind
over Hill & Valley to collect water
from the Mountain spring, fresh and clear as a
cloudless Sky
into the clay Vessel
to be transported
back to the village, to the people, to his charges
the cold blue winter Sun oversaw this task
and silently
challenged every step
II. he saw the Sky in the eyes of his client
or was it the Mountain Spring before him?
vacillating between wonderment
and humility
the walls faded away
the sterile room was no longer
III. dark Hills rimmed with dense Clouds
pouring over the Treetops, they stole his gaze
flocks of Black Birds flew high amid the Ridges
in a dance as pure as Spring Water
IV. the woman sitting before him
tears streaming
emotionless, stoic, otherwise
pleading with the gods
for respite from the deep pain within
the walls returning
a new life, do they hold
V. alive with the breath of Nature - they meld as one
the pale blue walls
the gray cloudy Sky
the phosphorescent lights
the dark Mountains
the generic gray carpet
the village below
VI. and the Clay Vessel with Fading Words
All Is Held
Within This Moment
Scheme | XAXBXXCXDX EFEDXA XXCA FGXXXGX XXBXXXX XXE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 101110101 1011010110 1010110110 101 010110 11010 1101010101110 0111011011 0100 101001 111010011110 1110101011 10001100 00100 011001 01011110 1111111 1010011111 11111101010 001111110 101010011 110 11010 10101 110101101 01010 011111 1011011101111 0111 01101 011 0110 0010110 01001 1001101101 111 01110 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,402 |
Words | 212 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 10, 6, 4, 7, 7, 3 |
Lines Amount | 37 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 147 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 33 |
About this poem
This poem was inspired by a friend and colleague. His presence in the room with mental health patients is awe-inspiring. I have always sought to channel his approach as I hold space for my own patients.
Font size:
Written on November 26, 2019
Submitted by fionnbeith on January 28, 2022
Modified on March 09, 2023
- 1:03 min read
- 52 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Duty of Passion" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/119470/duty-of-passion>.
Discuss this Paul White poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In