Why I am
I am my father's child .
I am , due to the fire of his loins
That smelt me into a burnt being.
I am due to the fire of his heart ,
In which anger was plenty in.
I am , because once , he was drunk in the way he loved mother ,
Staggered into passion and desire .
He was young , and during then , adored her.
He grew up , and then , abhorred her
And this tore her ,
Not immediately but eventually into ashes.
I am by the river ,
Tears running down my cheeks like a river
As I scatter her ashes into the river
The cremated particles— the only parts I have left of her .
I will not not refer to you in this poem ,
Darling
Get lost ! Flit your eyes away ,
Even if I yearn to fit into your heart ,
It doesn't matter —
Feet
Oh ! Feet
They were not the death of her
Only age was .
How her death lingered,
Her cracked breathing like a fire crackling
But still hope lingered .
The beep of the machine – the halt of the soul's human luggage — the curb of her cries
—the pause of her heart ,
Was also the degradation of mine .
Hope scurried away , ( moanful voice ).
I know nothing lasts
But it remains permanent that I am a product of my father's lust
Why is it that this fact continues to exist
And yet my mother , whom I loved turned to dust ?
About this poem
The poem is more of a letter. This person addresses a loved one whom they refer to as "darling" but keeps the identity of them anonymous. In this poem , the narrator describes her reason for existing which is that 'hey were simply born. Simultaneously, she provides an insight into the complex relationship between her mother and father , and the lovelessness in their marriage and then later on , the death of her mother and her fondness towards her .
Submitted by josephkaren0500 on August 20, 2022
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:23 min read
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Quick analysis:
Scheme | XABCXDDDDDA DDDD XBXCDEEDAFBFACXA AGXG |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,287 |
Words | 275 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 11, 4, 16, 4 |
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"Why I am" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/137069/why-i-am>.
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