Analysis of Light & Dark

Rodney R. Shepherd 1966 (Terre Haute In.)

Ode


We are born with the Light in our souls I am told
And that the Light stays with us as we grow old

As children the Light can be seen in our eyes and in our grace
But by the time we are adults there is hardly an outward trace

They say to walk in the Light is a blessed thing
And that the Light in our heart makes our very soul sing

And that in nearly every heart the Light can be found
In some the Light is so strong it almost makes a sound

That if we use the strength of the Light in times of despair
It’s almost like being in an angle’s care

Some say our inner Light is what attracts the love of our life
And that our Light will help guide us during times of struggle and strife

That even in the darkest hour the Light can still show the way
And on the path of the light we should endeavor to stay

It is believed Light can hold back the Dark like a vault’s door
So we should open ourselves to the light and let our heart soar

So always strive to keep your Light burning bright
And your loved ones will always see you even on the darkest night

It’s been said that the Dark comes for us all at some point in our life
It will most likely try during a period of pain and strife

At first it will be small but like an ink stain it will spread out and slowly grow
To consume you utterly is its one and only goal

It will enter through your heart, soul or maybe your mind
It will use the quickest and easiest route it can find

The Dark may use hate, jealousy or greed
If it gets inside it will most surely try to plant its seed

And there deep inside it will ooze and fester like an infection
 All the while steering you in an ever darker direction

As the Dark in you begins to show
It won’t take long before your family and friends figure it out, before they know

The you they used to know is no longer there
That for them or anyone else you no longer care

Only when its work is complete and it’s too late
Will the Dark reveal itself after it has sealed your fate

Only when its work is complete and it’s too late
Will the Dark reveal itself after it has sealed your fate


Scheme aa bb cc dd ee ff gg hh ii ff jx kk ll mm jj ee NN NN
Poetic Form
Metre 1111010101111 01011111111 11001111010100101 1101110111101101 11110011011 010101011101011 01010100101111 010111111101 11110110101101 1111001101 11101011101011101 01101111110111001 1100010100111101 01011011101011 11011111011011 11110001101011011 1111111101 011111111010101 11110111111110101 1111011001001101 1111111111111110101 10111001110101 1110111111011 11101001001111 0111110011 111011111011111 0110111101011010 101101011010010 101010111 11110111000110110111 01111111101 111110111101 101111010111 10101011011111 101111010111 10101011011111
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 2,110
Words 445
Sentences 1
Stanzas 18
Stanza Lengths 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2
Lines Amount 36
Letters per line (avg) 45
Words per line (avg) 12
Letters per stanza (avg) 90
Words per stanza (avg) 24

About this poem

It's about the power good and evil.

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Written on August 01, 2008

Submitted by rshep041 on May 10, 2023

2:13 min read
0

Rodney R. Shepherd

I have served in the Air Force, My local sheriff's office and our county juvenile detention center. I have a wife of 35 years, 3 sons, 2 grandsons and a granddaughter. more…

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