Analysis of The Estate Sale



there was an estate sale
for an old couple down the street
and though we'd waved hello
we never chanced to meet

they were the kind of couple
that would be in love forever
and cherished every moment
that they spent together

and when his loving wife
passed to the other side
it wasn't but a week before
he joined his precious bride

so my wife and i
walked down our quiet street
to pay our last respects
and perhaps buy some antiques

we wandered through the sale
until we met her daughter
and we chatted for a bit
about her mother and father

she asked us if we'd wait
that she'd be right back
and when she returned
she handed us a sack

"they're mom and dad's love letters,"
"valentines and poems"
"and one of their last wishes"
was that you'd take them home"

"they wanted you to have them"
her eyes began to tear
"they said you were just like them"
"in their younger years"

we thanked her for the gift
and promised to take care
of the letters and to learn
from all the wisdom there

such a priceless gift
they turned out to be
countless are the times
that we'd sit and read

their stories of a love
that would never, ever end
and how they spent their lives
as each others' dearest friend

its been many years
since that estate sale
and we have raised a family
but are now growing frail

a loving younger couple
has moved in down the street
and if we get a chance
we probably should meet

and give them a special present
when they are over here

because they're just like we were
in our younger years


Scheme ABXB CDED XFXF XBXX ADXD XGXG XXXX HIHJ KIXI KLXX XMXM JALA CBXB EX DJ
Poetic Form
Metre 111011 11110101 011101 110111 1001110 11101010 01010010 111010 011101 110101 11010101 111101 11101 1110101 1110101 0011101 110101 0111010 0110101 01010010 111111 11111 01101 110101 1101110 10010 0111110 111111 1101111 010111 1110111 01101 110101 010111 1010011 110101 10101 11111 10101 11101 110101 1110101 011111 1110101 11101 11011 01110100 111101 0101010 110101 011101 110011 01101010 111101 0111110 010101
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,441
Words 291
Sentences 1
Stanzas 15
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 2, 2
Lines Amount 56
Letters per line (avg) 21
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 79
Words per stanza (avg) 19
Font size:
 

Submitted on June 19, 2017

Modified on March 29, 2023

1:29 min read
3

Discuss this Don Wells poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Estate Sale" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 17 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/86624/the-estate-sale>.

    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!

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    14
    days
    6
    hours
    12
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

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

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "Fire And Ice"?
    A Gerard Manley Hopkins
    B Robert Frost
    C Edgar Allan Poe
    D Johann Wolfgang von Goethe