Analysis of Can You Breathe
Lawrence S. Pertillar 1947 (Connecticut)
Whew!
OooOohhh.
Say,
Can you breathe?
With these fumes,
In the air!
Leaving,
The atmosphere...
Everywhere.
Full of bluffed up stuff.
Staying there!
OH...
When,
Will this...
Stench be enough to resist.
By those thought,
Powerless to insist.
This mess dumped they will stop!
Or...
Will humanity,
Ignore the farts.
For what they're done.
And...
For who they are!
'Hey?
Waving that flag of defeat?
You believe does what to prove?'
'We are ready and prepared to negotiate!'
'Negotiate?
For what?
Cleaner and better air to breathe?'
'Well...
At least the smell,
Will begin to clear our eyes.
So we can identify with certainty,
If those fumes,
Are natural or organically created!
'I don't believe this.
What?'
'Think about it.
Isn't sulfuric acid,
A product naturally produced.
And a compound that comes from Earth?'
'Okay!
So...
What are you saying?'
'I'm saying,
If they 'think' they have defeated us.
And...
We pretend we are surrendering.
Maybe, just maybe...
They will be patient enough,
To discuss with us...
Their diets.'
'And then what?
Share together a more meaningful way,
How to use their farts for profit?!'
'I'm only suggesting,
The fumes we suspect to come from them.
Could be a misunderstanding!'
'We are here for one purpose.
And one purpose only.
To use our weapons.
Remember...
The taxpayers will not find any of this,
Amusing.
If our fighting each other,
Had been our discovery...
Was a nonstopping gas.
Expelled naturally from Earth!
Do you have any idea at all,
How crazy that sounds?'
'I said,
It was a suggestion!'
'Okay.
Now,
Explain to the taxpayers...
Why a welcoming of defeat,
Is deserving of a parade for heros!
Then also explain,
How our action taken...
To discover,
Sulfuric acid...
Naturally pooped.
From the butt of Earth.
Is of benefit to their future.'
'Whew.
I didn't bring my cellphone.
And the signal,
From both our laptops.
No longer works.
Why are you pointing your weapon at me?'
'Have you heard of 'friendly fire'?
That,
The people will believe has happened.'
Scheme | Abcdef gxfhf bxijxjxxkclMx cnx o opd qqxker ip xrxs Cxg gtMgkhtx pcp gxg tkxuigukxsxx xl Cxxnxxlurxsu Axxxxk uxm |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (40%) |
Metre | 1 1 1 111 111 001 10 010 10 11111 101 1 1 11 1101101 111 100101 111111 1 10100 0101 1111 0 1111 1 1011101 1011111 11100011010 010 11 10010111 1 1101 10111101 1110101100 111 110010100010 11011 1 1011 1001010 010100001 00101111 1 1 11110 110 111110101 0 101110100 10110 1111001 10111 110 011 1010011001 11111110 110010 011011111 1100010 1111110 011010 111010 010 0101111011 010 11010110 11100100 1011 01100011 1111001011 11011 11 110010 1 1 011010 10100101 10101001110 11001 1101010 1010 01010 10001 10111 111001110 1 1101110 0010 11101 1101 1111011011 11111010 1 010101110 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 2,011 |
Words | 449 |
Sentences | 72 |
Stanzas | 18 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 5, 13, 3, 1, 3, 6, 2, 4, 3, 8, 3, 3, 12, 2, 12, 6, 3 |
Lines Amount | 95 |
Letters per line (avg) | 16 |
Words per line (avg) | 4 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 83 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 19 |
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"Can You Breathe" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/182116/can-you-breathe>.
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