Analysis of Back to the Crossroad
From my first scream I walked the road
With one, two, or more persons bearing my load,
Tickling me to smile and soothing me when I cried
And I knew not how darkness differs from light
Till when the clouds above became a gloom
And the earth beneath like a milling machine
Shook the knees of them that carried my load,
Forcing them to cast the load upon my head
After which they left me behind the walls of care.
And behold, the road diverged into two dissimilar roads:
One going to the left and another to the right
And sorry to me, I could not walk both of them
But to choose one, and that on the left later on I chose
For it was well adorned with gold, and its travelers in joy
Unlike the other from which the calm oozing voice came
Promising the sweetest things at the end of the road
But how could I leave behind that which was at hand
Running after the promises of the voice of the invisible source
And walk the road that seemed slippery and grievous?
O but now I see I was deceived:
For the gold I saw was but dust in guise
People's teeth clenched in pain seemed like signs of joy;
The road stinks with rotten walking carcasses
Hit sorely by the ground beneath their bleeding feet
And by the scorching sun above their bony heads.
Shall I not go back to the crossroad for the right decision?
For I hear the voice still calling me back out of this delusion
Oh, let me turn to the heeding of the distant call
For by the helping power of the one calling me
I'll overcome and victory shall be my portion.
Scheme | AAXBXXAXXXBXXCXAXXX X XCXXXDDXXD |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11111101 11111101011 11110101111 01111101011 1101010101 00101101001 1011111011 10111010111 101111010111 001010101101001 1101010010101 010111111111 11110110110111 111101110110001 0101011011011 1000101101101 111110111111 101001001011001001 010111100010 111111101 1011111101 10110111111 01111010100 110101011101 010101011101 11111101101010 1110111011111010 1111101010101 1101010101101 110010011110 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,507 |
Words | 305 |
Sentences | 5 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 19, 1, 10 |
Lines Amount | 30 |
Letters per line (avg) | 40 |
Words per line (avg) | 10 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 398 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 98 |
About this poem
This is a nostalgic poem in which the persona desires for a second chance to make a right decision. Is it really possible? Maybe yes, since he or she is still able to hear the sound of the distant call.
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Written on April 16, 2022
Submitted by Rutainikwa on June 22, 2022
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:32 min read
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"Back to the Crossroad" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/131353/back-to-the-crossroad>.
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