Analysis of Smoke – Part 1



My body was starting to burn
To ashes, as the reward
That I had earned.

I was too happy to just accept
Being dissolved
Into dust within God’s spirit,
As previously resolved.

While I had hoped to sacrifice
Myself while still free,
The flames of hope were quenched,
Without any glee.

My dearest and nearest had only just departed;
Seeing me completely burnt.
I was left, scarred, waiting desperately
For someone to return.

Half ashes rest as a sickly mess
Under the cover of my dark smoke.
I was despising my life, myself,
As nothing but badly charred coke.

I was hoping just to be free,
But someone determined
It was not to be.

My ashes were destined
To end up in the ocean;
Now I was left, still unburnt,
With clouded emotions.

I, as smoke, would vanish
Into nothing up in the sky;
Nobody knew about my fate now,
Nor was I told why


Scheme ABX XCXC XDBD XXDA XEXE DXD XXBX XFXF
Poetic Form Etheree  (20%)
Metre 11011011 1101001 1111 111101101 1001 01101110 1100001 1111110 1111 011101 01101 1100101101010 1010101 1111101000 11101 110110101 100101111 11010111 11011011 11101111 11010 11111 110010 1110010 111111 110010 111110 01101001 1101111 11111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 804
Words 155
Sentences 10
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3, 4, 4
Lines Amount 30
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 81
Words per stanza (avg) 19

About this poem

Living in surroundings where the small and unbearable mess of badly burnt humanity can choke the life out of any of us, one can quite easily wish to vanish as smoke, which disappears from the funeral fire. The only wish one should have is that whatever is left behind, it should be the ash (vibhuti).

Font size:
 

Written on September 09, 1998

Submitted by prithvi_d on July 04, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

46 sec read
19

Prithvi Datta

Retired lecturer and consultant building services and alternative generation of Power, Heating and Cooling. Prithvi Datta Global LEED Prof.★; MEEC; CEM; 17,388 Followers & 17,911 connections Wokingham, England, United Kingdom https://www.linkedin.com/in/prithvi-datta-a878202/ more…

All Prithvi Datta poems | Prithvi Datta Books

2 fans

Discuss this Prithvi Datta poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Smoke – Part 1" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/104168/smoke-%E2%80%93-part-1>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    13
    hours
    48
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who is the author of the renowned poem collection "Leaves of Grass"?
    A Emily Dickinson
    B Robert Frost
    C Langston Hughes
    D Walt Whitman