Analysis of Convenience Store



I spent the last few years
On beef sticks and annoying lines
Talk is cheap, that's why
It's on the bottom corner
Of the drive-through menu--
Nobody orders the unkempt smart-mouth
In a mottled dust jacket.
Time, I sing, in off-key wisdom
Avoids only those who refuse its tawdry advances
Nothing like that ever
Happens under a quart of sunshine
Like on every July Fourth since
We stole the firecrackers from the yard
Popping them faster than our knuckles, knees shaking
As if they were pills instead of bottled gun powder,
I tell the unamused and uninterested in bright summer dresses.
Plinking the cashier with peanut candies,
Maybe I've got nothing to say
That the Midwest hasn't heard twice already.
It's better to shut up, but I can't.
Not with this explosive scoop on the tip of my tongue
That'll never see the six o'clock news.
But you'll have to hang around and hang on
Before I let it slip in the form of a
Grade- B compliment,
Reaching into the cooler for pocket change I never carry
It's the Fourth.
The guy in paint-splotched jeans
Rolls his eyes at the first mention of summer corn
Which is all I've got after the beef sticks are gone.


Scheme ABCDEFGHIDJKLMDINOPQRSTUVPWXYZ
Poetic Form Etheree  (27%)
Metre 110111 11100101 11111 1101010 101110 11000111 0010110 11101110 01101101110010 101110 10100111 11100111 110100101 1011011010110 1110101110110 110100100011010 1000111010 10111011 1011011010 110111111 1110101101111 1010101011 1111101011 01111100110 11100 1001010110111010 101 010111 111101101101 111111001111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,145
Words 216
Sentences 7
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 30
Lines Amount 30
Letters per line (avg) 30
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 906
Words per stanza (avg) 207

About this poem

This is a tongue-in-cheek reflection on that guy who is always found hanging around the convenience store counter.

Font size:
 

Written on June 28, 2022

Submitted by n0qlt on June 29, 2022

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:08 min read
58

H. Russell Smith

I am a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and live in a small town in Missouri. In addition to being a poet, I am an electrical engineer, an avid Ham Radio Operator, and a New Mexico chile pepper fanboy. more…

All H. Russell Smith poems | H. Russell Smith Books

2 fans

Discuss this H. Russell Smith poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Convenience Store" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/131388/convenience-store>.

    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!

    More poems by

    H. Russell Smith

    »

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    5
    days
    21
    hours
    39
    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?

    »
    A long narrative poem that tells the adventures of a heroic figure is called an _______.
    A sonnet
    B ballad
    C ode
    D epic