Analysis of What If I Like Rudyard Kipling
Karl Constantine FOLKES 1935 (Portland)
What if I like Rudyard Kipling’s
quest
to keep his head about him
without rest
while others, untrusting of selves
might doubt;
and in their doubting prance
about —
and in their pouting rant and rave
without abate,
unmindful of the viciousness
of their state…
What if I like Rudyard Kipling
wandering…
about the need for patience —
not meandering…
while others sauntering, in ignorance
floundering —
preoccupied with thoughts
not sobering…
to find life’s pathways
troubling —
and with such mindset kept on
stumbling…
What if I like Rudyard Kipling
dreaming
of ways to make life better —
beaming…
at opportunities that chance
does offer…
would seize that gift encased
within life’s coffer…
the valuable lessons learned
to make one wise…
instead of wasting time in telling lies…
What if I like Rudyard Kipling
writing…
could write the things one finds
exciting…
how one can dream and make the dream
come true…
could conjure up some magic potion—
even a brew
that would cure a timid mouse —
perhaps a nagging shrew…
could change misfortune into fortune—
providing start anew…
What if I like Rudyard Kipling —
rhyming…
with poetry of good timing…
the souls of men uplifting,
and in this act…
not rifting;
their hearts and minds not breaking…
Instead, their disappointments—
abating…
What if I like Rudyard Kipling…
musing —
with rhyme and meter—
fusing…
The Malabar scholar
scheming…
his melodious lyrics
streaming —
I would find my own lines
teeming…
my mellifluous messages
gleaming …
What if I like Rudyard Kipling’s literature
inspiring…
poets among others —
admiring…
his pen and ink the pages
bleeding…
the span of time his wisdom
not impeding…
and that I, bereft of youth, a neophyte
could find a way to scribble —
in spite of limbs impaired, no longer firm
but shrivel…
Then I could ask the poet nesting
at Westminster Abbey, Poet’s Corner
resting—
for tips to keep an old mind
tinkering…
the body sore, yet spritely
limbering…
and so withal by making “just so stories”
brimming —
achieve the goal, a poet’s mind
not dimming…
Oh, with such a master’s granting I’d be
surely blessed
to have the legacy of poets
made manifest…
For poets like all artists court
the human soul —
‘Tis their everlasting innate impetus
to become whole…
Pray, with dispensation that I find
that royal place
where all poets in due time—
are given Grace.
Scheme | abxbacacxdad Eeaeaeaeaexe Eefeafxfxaa Eeaexghgafhg Eeeexeeae Eefefeaeaeae feaeaexexixi efejeieaeje xbabxkakjaxa |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111101 1 1111011 011 110111 11 001101 01 00110101 0101 110100 111 11111010 100 0101110 10100 11010100 100 01011 1100 1111 100 011111 100 11111010 10 1111110 10 1010011 110 111101 01110 0100101 1111 0111010101 11111010 10 110111 010 11110101 11 110111010 1001 1110101 010101 110100110 010101 11111010 10 11001110 011110 0011 11 1101110 0110010 010 11111010 10 11010 10 0110 10 1010010 10 111111 10 11100 10 11111011000 010 100110 010 1101010 10 0111110 1010 0110111010 1101110 0111011101 110 111101010 110101010 10 1111111 100 010111 1 0111101110 10 01010101 110 1110101011 101 110100110 110 11011101 0101 1101001100 1011 11010111 1101 1110011 1101 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 2,491 |
Words | 424 |
Sentences | 1 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 12, 11, 12, 9, 12, 12, 11, 12 |
Lines Amount | 103 |
Letters per line (avg) | 18 |
Words per line (avg) | 4 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 206 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 46 |
About this poem
Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “If” was perhaps the first poem that I learned to recite by memory and perform before audiences, while growing up as a 12 year-old school boy in Colonial Jamaica, of the British West Indies. My parents would proudly drag me from one performance to another, and I, the eldest of seven children, was eager to please them. Although more than 70 years have passed, and I can no longer recite the lines by memory, Kipling’s poem “If” has forever left an indelible imprint on my psyche. This poem, “What If I Like Rudyard Kipling,” reveals the lasting influence of the poet Kipling on at least one of his neophyte subjects. more »
Written on October 09, 2021
Submitted by karlcfolkes on October 09, 2021
Modified by karlcfolkes on September 08, 2022
- 2:07 min read
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"What If I Like Rudyard Kipling" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/111651/what-if-i-like-rudyard-kipling>.
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