Analysis of Every Little Sound You Make
Kaitlyn Nicole 1992 (United States)
It started at the time of birth,
waiting in anticipation for your first cry;
a universal signal of,
“I’m here. I’m breathing. I’m okay.”
From that day forward, every little sound you made was music to my ears;
a gentle reminder of
the beauty of life and the wonder of subtleties.
I would gaze at you for hours;
memorizing every inch and committing the
small details to memory:
the flutter of your eyes as you drifted to sleep,
the soft curve of your lips as you smiled;
a reflex that likely meant nothing to you, but everything to me.
The rise and fall of your chest was effortless;
so much so that I didn’t think to account for it in my mental appraisal of your perfection.
In hindsight, I was mistaken and foolish to take a crucial function for granted;
to think that because you took your very first breath the day you were born,
this somehow excluded you from ailment;
that your life force could never forsake you;
never forsake me.
During your illness, every little sound you made
was an alarm to my ears;
a jarring reminder of
the fragility of life and the potential for loss.
The distinction between a cry to eat and a cry to breathe,
is one I never wanted to know.
To this day, I am listening for your sounds;
embracing that the beauty of life
cannot exist outside its fragility;
appreciating every moment with you;
understanding that I do not choose your
journey and time on this Earth.
To love so fully and with such desperation for continuance, is not unique;
it is the experience of mothers all around the world.
Even so, I feel for you in a way I never have,
and I give thanks for every little sound you make,
for it reminds me,
“I’m here. I’m breathing. I’m okay.”
Scheme | axbC dbx xxe xxe xx xxxf e xdbx xx xxefxa xx xxeC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11010111 10000101111 0010101 1111011 1111010010111110111 0100101 0101100101100 11111110 100100100100 1011100 010111111011 011111111 0101101101111011 01011111100 111111110111011001011010 01110100101101010110 11101111101101101 110101110 1111110011 10011 1011010010111 1101111 0100101 00100110001011 001001011100111 111101011 11111100111 010101011 10011110100 01001001011 010111111 1001111 11110011010101001101 110010011010101 10111110011101 0111110010111 11011 1111011 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,726 |
Words | 360 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 12 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 3, 3, 3, 2, 4, 1, 4, 2, 6, 2, 4 |
Lines Amount | 38 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 110 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 26 |
About this poem
This poem was inspired by my 6 week old baby’s battle with RSV illness that impacted her ability to breathe. Once she recovered, I started to write about the experience as a cathartic release and it is now one of my favorite poems.
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Written on April 16, 2022
Submitted by kligman1792 on September 30, 2022
Modified on March 08, 2023
- 1:48 min read
- 7 Views
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"Every Little Sound You Make" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/139308/every-little-sound-you-make>.
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