Analysis of Before the First Step
When pressures grow too great to stand
And you can’t take the offered hand,
When wind and gales cause you to shake
And dreams and strength diminish, break,
When fear entombs the path behind
And excess caution leaves you blind,
When flame decays to comfort’s call
And fighting slows beneath the pall,
When anger rises from the deep
And, unanswered, is cried to sleep,
When patience gives way to despair
And anguish flows, too much to bear,
When marching time moves day to night
And others fill theirs, rich and bright,
When life is a short dash to spend
And “empty you” awaits the end,
When healthy growth cannot begin
And mocking laughter builds within,
When suffering is all you know
And lower still you try to go,
When wreckage rests as your life dies
And still you breathe, to your surprise,
Then. Clear air finds what smoke denies
And shows the start to opened eyes.
Scheme | AABB CCXX DDEE FFGG HHII JJJJ |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (83%) |
Metre | 11011111 01110101 11011111 01010101 1110101 0110111 11011101 01010101 11010101 0101111 11011101 01011111 11011111 01011101 11101111 01010101 11011001 01010101 11001111 01011111 11011111 01111101 11111101 01011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 884 |
Words | 173 |
Sentences | 2 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 29 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 115 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 26 |
About this poem
At some point the mantra of “everything is fine; I can handle this” becomes a blinding curse. Depression is a serious issue and it's only when someone is finally willing to say “I need help” and recognize the problem for what it is that healing can begin. The poem's steady meter and rhyme has no breaks, building in tension without relief. Like the subject matter, the reader cannot be allowed to rest until the end, the built-up pressure releasing like a breath of fresh air. more »
Written on May 11, 2022
Submitted by amichaelewell on May 24, 2022
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 51 sec read
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"Before the First Step" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/129075/before-the-first-step>.
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