Analysis of Memorial Day
The annual parade waddled through the streets of town today,
And as the flag, held high by the withering hands of local veterans,
Passed by me, I did not lower my head,
Or remove my cap,
Or fight back the annual tears,
Like the old men crowded around me.
I’ve seen the way my uncles puffed with pride
At the slightest remembrance of fallen comrades—
Nameless soldiers who served thousands of miles from them—
Watched as their eyes moistened,
Listened as their voices quavered,
Then gave out completely, in honor of someone they never knew.
But they did know, in the way that all old soldiers recognize each other,
Passing in a busy shopping mall,
Sharing a bench while grandchildren spin on the park merry-go-round;
There is a bond, they say, the bond of war,
That makes strangers friends, that makes soldiers brothers,
That makes nameless men heroes.
But what of the ones who grew up without the benefit of war,
In the terrible grip of peace,
Those who never had to kill to defend God and country,
Never grew to serve the colors of fireworks:
Red, white, blue, bursting in the sky each year,
A recurring reminder of their inaction?
Can the flag be more to them than an empty symbol?
A dyed rag we wave to begin a baseball game,
A song we sing a few times each year,
A sermon thundered from the city hall pulpit.
It has never cost them anything worth losing;
It has no glory in their memories.
No. I did not cry, or bow, or clutch my hat
In the wake as the flag passed.
Perhaps I should have pretended, let the old soldiers believe
That their world would continue, that their children understood.
But if they taught me anything, it is this:
You do not lie about the important things.
© Sean Taylor
Scheme | XXXXXAXXXXXXBXXCXXCXAXDXXXDXXXXXXXXX B |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01000111011101 010111101001110100 1111111011 10111 11101001 101110011 1101110111 10100101101 101011101111 111110 10111010 111010010111101 11110011111010110 100010101 100111011011011 1101110111 11101111010 1110110 1110111101010011 00100111 11101111011010 1011101011 1111000111 001001011010 1011111111010 011111010111 011101111 010101010110 11101110110 1111001100 11111111111 0011011 011110101011001 1111010111001 1111110111 11110100101 110 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,668 |
Words | 311 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 36, 1 |
Lines Amount | 37 |
Letters per line (avg) | 36 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 667 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 156 |
Font size:
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Memorial Day" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 17 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/100480/memorial-day>.
Discuss this Sean Taylor 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