After Long Drought
Mark Van Doren 1894 (Vermilion County) – 1972 (Torrington)
After long drought, commotion in the sky;
After dead silence, thunder. Then it comes,
The rain. It slashes leaves, and doubly drums
On tin and shingle; beats and bends awry
The flower heads; puddles dust, and with a sigh
Like love sinks into grasses, where it hums
As bees did once, among chrysanthemums
And asters when the summer thought to die.
The whole world dreamed of this, and has it now.
Nor was the waking easy. The dull root
Is jealous of its death; the sleepy brow
Smiles in its slumber; and a heart can fear
The very flood it longed for, roaring near.
The spirit best remembers being mute.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 100 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBAABBA CDCEED |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 609 |
Words | 112 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 6 |
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"After Long Drought" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/26547/after-long-drought>.
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