Analysis of Charred Remains
Gregory Baranoff 1951 (Shanghai)
This month weighs heavy on the heart
Goes around in circles in my mind
It throws my psyche upside down
It conjures up far, far memories
And brings them side by side with yesterday’s events.
Charred remains of homes and people’s lives
Twisted metal, melted plastic and glass
Rubble, burned out buildings, remains of cars and trucks left on the streets
Not even their armor or getaway speed could save them
The fire pierced and outran them all.
Charred remains, ashes, flakes and mounds of white and gray
Neither the best of minds nor God can reassemble or bring them back to life
For those who lost it all and for those who now will have no memory
Of having walked the old streets, talked to those who lived and perished there
The fire choked and engulfed them all
I’ve sat around campfires in my youth and teaching days
Watched flames flicker into the night, savoring sacrificed wood
Felt the heat, adjusted where I sat or stood to keep the smoke at bay
Close yet far enough, the heat warm and giving
A fire inside a rock circle yields a different purpose
Words of wisdom, from the heart or an acknowledgement of someone
A name on a piece of paper, a poem, a prayer, placed into the fire
A moment of silence, but for the hiss and crackle and whispers in the rising smoke
Sunset to sunrise, from night to another day, fresh plumeria blossoms scattered in the bay
Namaste, Lahaina, and to your people, ho’oponopono
Scheme | XXAXX XXXXB CXXXB XXCXX XXXCA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11110101 101010011 11110111 110111100 01111111001 101110101 1010101001 1011100111011101 1101101101111 010100111 101101011101 100111111010111111 11111101111111100 1101011111110101 010100111 1101100110101 11100101100101 10101011111110111 11101011010 0100101101010010 111010111010011 0110111001001101010 010110110101001000101 1111110101111010001 11011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic heptameter |
Characters | 1,446 |
Words | 268 |
Sentences | 3 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 |
Lines Amount | 25 |
Letters per line (avg) | 45 |
Words per line (avg) | 10 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 226 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 51 |
About this poem
Reflecting on the tragedy in Maui.
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"Charred Remains" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/170390/charred-remains>.
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