Analysis of Painting the streets red with poppies

Royston 1946 (Reading)



At the whistle blast I went over the top.
I just kept on going and would not stop.
As the barrage of bullets whistled by
I knew that if one hit me I would die.

Why such bloody carnage and why such hate?
Why should I let a bullet seal my fate?
But I will not falter or reason why,
I'll do my duty, and if needs be die.

So for you my dear, I have paid the price,
and bought your freedom through my sacrifice.
No more for me that dreaded whistle blast
for the bullet struck and did not whizz past.

Now all is silent and no bullets fly.
Remember us and why we had to die.
Place poppies up high for us year after year
and play the “Last Post,” so that all may hear.


Scheme AABB CCBB DDEE BBXX
Poetic Form Quatrain  (75%)
Metre 10101111001 1111100111 1001110101 1111111111 1110100111 1111010111 1111101101 1111001111 1111111101 011101110 1111110101 1010101111 1111001101 0101011111 11011111101 0101111111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 663
Words 139
Sentences 11
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 32
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 126
Words per stanza (avg) 35

About this poem

Written after we remembered our war heroes by painting a large mural on the pub wall and displayed red poppies in the homes and shops of our village

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Submitted by royston on September 11, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

42 sec read
9

Royston

Still experimenting with poetry and still learning more…

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