Analysis of To Love A War

Jeandré Taylor 1997 (Worcester, Medi Clinic)



He sat-
the old man
who heard songs
when he slept.

Time;
his endless friend.
A War lived
never far
from his head.

Soundless,
like shells falling close
to deafened ears,
he watched the crowds.
Ever-moving
Ever-busy
around him.

Past memory
for a moment seeped
into present time.

He mumbles incoherently.

Her soft kiss
once again
on his cheek.

So many words
whizz past his ears.

Another moment.
Her eyes
remain beautiful.

He sat-
the old man
who heard screeches
when he woke.

Time;
his only friend.
A War killed
too close to his heart

Explosions,
like soft cotton,
sound between aged ears.
He scans the crowds.
Always moving,
Always busy
around him.

Future dreams
for a moment seeped
into present time.

He mumbles again.

Her soft kiss planted
on his baby boy.

So many tears had trod
through the trenches.

Another moment.
His ring might hug
her finger yet.


Scheme ABcx Dexxx cxfghiJ iKD i xlx xf Mxx ABnx Dexx xxfghiJ xKD l xx xn Mxx
Poetic Form
Metre 11 011 111 111 1 1101 011 101 111 1 11101 111 1101 1010 1010 011 1100 10101 01101 11000100 011 101 111 1101 1111 01010 01 01100 11 011 1110 111 1 1101 011 11111 010 1110 10111 1101 110 110 011 101 10101 01101 11001 01110 11101 110111 1010 01010 1111 0101
Closest metre Iambic dimeter
Characters 886
Words 194
Sentences 23
Stanzas 16
Stanza Lengths 4, 5, 7, 3, 1, 3, 2, 3, 4, 4, 7, 3, 1, 2, 2, 3
Lines Amount 54
Letters per line (avg) 12
Words per line (avg) 3
Letters per stanza (avg) 42
Words per stanza (avg) 9

About this poem

I sat next to an old man at a coffee shop in a mall when this poem came to me. I tried to imagine what his younger life might have been like in some fantastical way. I wrote this poem on a til slip.

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Written on November 15, 2019

Submitted by Taylorfox on June 28, 2022

Modified on March 05, 2023

58 sec read
46

Jeandré Taylor

I am 25 years old and started writing since Primary school. I enjoy reading and playing video games and am a freelance copywriter. more…

All Jeandré Taylor poems | Jeandré Taylor Books

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