Analysis of Those Evil Few



With wealth, the likes of Helen's Troy,
There are these few that think they're coy—
They seem so modest, but I warn,
Their modesty is but a ploy.

They hung two 'thieves' the other morn.
In fact, the day my son was born.
Their crime? Some stolen fruit, some grain ...
Two homeless, hungry men forlorn.

I felt indignant, bitter pain,
As I stood watching through the rain.
If I were starving, like these two,
Would I steal food and thus be slain?

Who knows how many men they slew,
But here is this, and it is true,
That if they touched my starving son,
I'd grab a sword and run 'em through!

For by their greed their wealth was won—
Our wherewithal is nearly none.
Those evil few, so fatly fed,
Impoverished me and everyone!

And still the hungry hang there dead,
Condemned by laws those few have said.
And now my hunger has me torn:
Obey their laws, or steal their bread?


Scheme AABA BBCB CCDC DDED EEFE FFBF
Poetic Form
Metre 11011101 11111111 11110111 11001101 11110101 01011111 11110111 11010101 11010101 11110101 11010111 11110111 11110111 11110111 11111101 11010111 11111111 10101101 1101111 0101010 01010111 01111111 01110111 01111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 876
Words 189
Sentences 13
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 110
Words per stanza (avg) 27

About this poem

This is a poem that touches on the socioeconomic disparities that have plagued humans since time immemorial. My mind, while trying to paint this picture, clung to the High Middle Ages of Europe where the livelihood and survival of the peasantry class hung on the arbitrary and capricious whims of the lords who ruled over them. The stanza type employed here is modeled on that of the Rubaiyat.

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Submitted by Vixility on September 15, 2022

Modified on March 05, 2023

57 sec read
71

John W. May

John W. May has lived in Colorado all his life. He currently works in the field of ophthalmology and loves to mountain bike and read about history. John first became a lover of poetry in 2008 after having read a poem by John Milton. He has been reading and studying the works of various poets since. His favorite poets are Emily Dickinson, Fyodor Tyutchev and W. B. Yeats. more…

All John W. May poems | John W. May Books

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