Analysis of Clattering



I was a pebble skipped across
the surface of life
Newborn fearlessly colliding
into sharp edges above the water
a friend once said:
we are rocks on a riverbed
My reply:
poems don’t need to rhyme
Or to try
The meaning in art is what picks you up
Or what let’s you down
We are here to soften every hard edge
Current of circumstance unplanned
I was a pinball playing the Mississippi
Until I was soft enough to fall
To see life above me, moving,
Regardless of me
To feel hardness fall down on me
And soften us both in the meeting.


Scheme ABCDEEFGFHIJKLMCLLC
Poetic Form
Metre 11010101 01011 101010 0111001010 0111 1111010 101 101111 111 0100111111 11111 11111010011 1011001 1101100010 011110111 11101110 01011 11101111 010110010
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 531
Words 105
Sentences 1
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 19
Lines Amount 19
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 418
Words per stanza (avg) 102

About this poem

I struggle to be on stage and do slam poetry because my poems are more lyric and I have stage fright. But I’ve done it, I’ve soften my edges to let others soften their. This poem is about every disagreement I’ve ever had with anyone and in this time of ubiquitous dissonance, it’s important for me to see the point and beauty of all of it.

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Written on February 09, 2023

Submitted by Laurasnewemail on February 10, 2023

Modified on March 05, 2023

31 sec read
1

Clattering

Elle has been writing poetry since she was 3 years old and now has a Master’s degree in psychology working with kids with autism. She performs slam poetry with Red Dirt Poetry in Oklahoma City. more…

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