Analysis of To the Mosquito
To the Mosquito
How soft upon me you alight
To draw up nectar (scarlet meal)—
To siphon fluid from my frame
 From whatsoever vein you will ...
Well who am I to hold a grudge?
 Or who to shun your natural bent?
For I know nature made you such
 And that you have not ill intent.
But she has fashioned me as well
 With instinct and with quick reply—
A pass, I warn, to even kill
 What creatures might upon me vie.
So with that said, let this be clear:
 I harbor no antipathy ...
But should you seek out blood from here,
 Think not my wrath iniquity.
Scheme | X XXXA XBXB XCAC XDXD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10010 11011101 11110101 11010111 1010111 11111101 111111001 11110111 11111101 11110111 11001101 01111101 11010111 11111111 11010100 11111111 11110100 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 644 |
Words | 127 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 17 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 95 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 23 |
About this poem
Given the pernicious and often fatal consequences of West Nile virus—not to mention the rude and uninvited intrusion imposed upon my person—I thought I'd write this polite warning to our friendly little micropredator.
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"To the Mosquito" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/187249/to-the-mosquito>.
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