Analysis of Your Birthday Night



It's your birthday again today
and the early hours pass steadily
but I'm back in that night
when I alone kept watch over you,
listened to how your breath sounded,
in a room that reeked of disease,
my laptop on my lap,
working for my bread,
because one has to do something.

There was nothing else in that room,
just the sound of the pump.
It stood there cold and clumsy,
and your moans now and then
confirmed to me: you were tired of your pains.

The hours ticked by slowly
and you, were you still aware of me,
when I moistened your mouth again,
gently touched your sunken cheek?

This could take days, weeks,
you were so strong with all your flaws.

By morning, however, peace came
your breath stopped, your fire extinguished
and I then gently kissed you good-bye.


Scheme XAXXXXXXX XXABX AABX XX XXX
Poetic Form
Metre 1110101 0010101100 111011 110111101 10111110 00111101 11111 10111 01111110 11101011 101101 1111010 011101 01111010111 0101110 010110111 11101101 1011101 11111 10111111 1101011 111110010 011101111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 765
Words 160
Sentences 6
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 9, 5, 4, 2, 3
Lines Amount 23
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 119
Words per stanza (avg) 28
Font size:
 

Submitted by ludy_b on December 06, 2022

Modified on March 05, 2023

48 sec read
62

Ludy Bührs

The topics she writes about are very diverse, so are the poetry styles she applies. As a Dutch translator and poet, having lived in Cambodia's capital city Phnom Penh for 2.5 years, in 2008 she published "Op de ruïnes van een rijk" (On the Ruins of an Empire) ISBN 978-90-8834-483-1 with 60 poems based on her experiences there. In 2007 she received a Certificate of Accomplishment as one of The Best Poems and Poets of 2007 issued by poetry.com and the International Library of Poetry for her poem Choked Truth, her own translation of "Verstikte waarheid", one of the poems in the book. Born in 1956, she still works as an independent translator, translating from English into Dutch. more…

All Ludy Bührs poems | Ludy Bührs Books

29 fans

Discuss this Ludy Bührs poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Your Birthday Night" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/148362/your-birthday-night>.

    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.
    10
    days
    20
    hours
    0
    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 wrote the poem "Phenomenal Woman"?
    A Rumi
    B Maya Angelou
    C Sylvia Plath
    D Emily Dickinson