Analysis of When the Angels Come to Call



I used to be a carefree guy, a mover and a shaker.
But soon I’ll face the consequence of meeting with my maker.
If life would have a scorecard of the deeds I’ve done before,
I hope my fate will not depend upon my final score.  

If the road that goes to heaven should rely upon perfection,
I’m sure the path that I’ve been on heads in the wrong direction.
But now that I’m much older and a wiser man indeed,
I’ve made some plans to do the things a worthy soul may need.  

I’ll spend more time to plan ahead and sometimes just to ponder
on how to right the ship I’m on at times when it may wander.
I’ll spend more time to do what’s right to help my fellow man.
For all of those who have a need, I’ll do all that I can.

I plan to do the proper deeds to help direct my fate.
I hope that it will be enough and that it’s not too late.
God knows I’ll do what’s necessary for my afterlife.
I’ll try to do all that I can to help protect my wife.

I’ll care for all the creatures whether they are big or small.
I hope it all will help me when the angels come to call.
If they should come to get me for the fate I’m hoping for,
they may just find me hiding because Satan’s at my door.


Scheme AABB CCDD AAEE FFGG HHBB
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 11110110100010 111101001101110 1111011011101 11111101011101 1011111010101010 110111111001010 11111100010101 11111101010111 111111010011110 111101111111110 11111101111101 11111101111111 11110101110111 11111101011111 111101001110 11111111110111 11110101011111 11111111010111 11111111011101 1111110011111
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 1,231
Words 268
Sentences 16
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 44
Words per line (avg) 12
Letters per stanza (avg) 177
Words per stanza (avg) 49

About this poem

The older I get the more I think about my own mortality and what fate there may be in store. Life has so many regrets and so little time to mend the wounds accumulated. I can only hope to do what I can with whatever time I have left.

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Written on November 09, 2023

Submitted by npirandy on February 08, 2024

1:20 min read
44

Randy West

I'm 76 years old and a combat veteran from Vietnam. I used to compose poetry while on ambush patrol as a way of staying awake on watch, since falling asleep could be hazardous to my health. I started early in life though, because, as a child, I would write little tidbits to my mom for the heck of it. more…

All Randy West poems | Randy West Books

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