Analysis of Complaint

William Carlos Williams 1883 (Rutherford) – 1963 (Rutherford)



They call me and I go.
It is a frozen road
past midnight, a dust
of snow caught
in the rigid wheeltracks.
The door opens.
I smile, enter and
shake off the cold.
Here is a great woman
on her side in the bed.
She is sick,
perhaps vomiting,
perhaps laboring
to give birth to
a tenth child. Joy! Joy!
Night is a room
darkened for lovers,
through the jalousies the sun
has sent one golden needle!
I pick the hair from her eyes
and watch her misery
with compassion.


Scheme ABCDEEFGHIJKKLMNEHOEPH
Poetic Form
Metre 111011 110101 1101 111 00101 0110 11100 1101 110110 101001 111 01100 01100 1111 01111 1101 10110 10101 1111010 1101101 010100 1010
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 467
Words 92
Sentences 11
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 22
Lines Amount 22
Letters per line (avg) 16
Words per line (avg) 4
Letters per stanza (avg) 355
Words per stanza (avg) 90
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

27 sec read
587

William Carlos Williams

William Carlos Williams was a Latino-American poet closely associated with modernism and imagism. more…

All William Carlos Williams poems | William Carlos Williams Books

5 fans

Discuss this William Carlos Williams poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Complaint" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/39650/complaint>.

    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!

    More poems by

    William Carlos Williams

    »

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    29
    days
    13
    hours
    22
    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?

    »
    Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not _______ both
    A follow
    B travel
    C see
    D choose