Analysis of On Veteran's Day



They hail our service
On Veteran’s Day.
For what we did
Along the way.
Then, they could all
Go out to play
And honor us on Veteran’s Day.

We take our bows
On Veteran’s Day.
As parades are held
And many pray.
But it’s okay to go out and play
While we look within
On Veteran’s Day.

They show old movies
On Veteran’s Day.
For those who all
Went out to play.
For veterans all
It’s not that way
We mostly mourn on Veteran’s Day.

We wail our loss of innocence
When we go out on Veteran’s Day.
For when it was “them or us,”
We never could get far away.
The battles we fought
Are always near when
We go out on Veteran’s Day.

“Old warriors never die,”
 He said, “They only fade away.”
Another penned, “War never leaves
Those who fought."  And as
The years flicker past
The war I fought lasts and lasts
To rise anew on Veteran’s Day.
When many still go out to play
Aging warriors fade away.


Scheme aBxbcbb xBxbbxB xBcbcbb xbabxxb xbxxxxbbb
Poetic Form
Metre 111010 11001 1111 0101 1111 1111 010111001 11101 11001 10111 0101 11111101 11101 11001 11110 11001 1111 1111 11001 1111 110111001 111011100 111111001 1111111 11011101 01011 1111 11111001 1100101 11110101 01011101 11101 01101 0111101 110111001 11011111 10100101
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 925
Words 197
Sentences 16
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 7, 7, 7, 7, 9
Lines Amount 37
Letters per line (avg) 18
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 133
Words per stanza (avg) 35

About this poem

This is a reflection of my service in the military during war and peace, and my desire that all warfare ends, and the celebration of warfare becomes, instead, a meditation on peace.

Font size:
 

Written on November 11, 2021

Submitted by DJGillert on February 09, 2022

Modified on March 05, 2023

58 sec read
90

Douglas Gillert

Douglas Gillert is a retired journalist and editor. He writes poetry as part of his spiritual path. more…

All Douglas Gillert poems | Douglas Gillert Books

2 fans

Discuss this Douglas Gillert poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "On Veteran's Day" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/121983/on-veteran%27s-day>.

    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!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    11
    days
    5
    hours
    14
    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?

    »
    In poetry, the word "foot" refers to _______.
    A a dozen poems
    B two or more syllables
    C one stanza
    D a unit of 12 lines