Analysis of Memory

Zora Bernice May Cross 1890 (Eagle Farm, Queensland) – 1964 (Glenbrook, New South Wales)



Late, late last night, when the whole world slept,
Along to the garden of dreams I crept.
And I pulled the bell of an old, old house
Where the moon dipped down like a little white mouse.
I tapped the door and I tossed my head:
"Are you in, little girl? Are you in?" I said.
And while I waited and shook with cold
Through the door tripped me---just eight years old.
I looked so sweet with my pigtails down,
Tied up with a ribbon of dusky brown,
With a dimpled chin full of childish charme,
And my old black dolly asleep in my arms.
I sat me down when I saw myself,
And I told little tales of a moonland elf.
I laughed and sang as I used to do
When the world was ruled by Little Boy Blue.
Then I danced with a toss and a twirl
And said: "Now have you been a good, good girl?
Have you had much spanking since you were Me?
And does it feel fine to be twenty-three?"
I kissed me then, and I said farewell,
For I've earned more spanks than I dared to tell,
And Eight must never see Twenty-three
As she peeps through the door of Memory.


Scheme AABBCCDDEEFGHHIIJJFKLLKK
Poetic Form
Metre 111110111 0110101111 0110111111 10111101011 110101111 11010111011 011100111 101111111 11111111 111010111 1010111101 01111001011 11111111 0111011011 110111111 1011111011 111101001 0111110111 1111101101 0111111101 11110111 1111111111 011101101 1111011100
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,014
Words 212
Sentences 14
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 24
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 784
Words per stanza (avg) 208
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 29, 2023

1:03 min read
65

Zora Bernice May Cross

Zora Bernice May Cross (18 May 1890 – 22 January 1964) was an Australian poet, best-selling novelist and journalist.  more…

All Zora Bernice May Cross poems | Zora Bernice May Cross Books

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