Analysis of "We Punish Ourselves"



We punish ourselves,
more than any other.
Judging who we are
and comparing to another.

Putting pain upon ourselves,
like not another could.
Suffering for a reason,
we think we've understood.

Believing we deserve,
the punishment we give.
Even thinking suicide,
wanting not to live.

Handing out a verdict,
on everything we do.
And never clearly knowing,
who's punishing who.


Scheme ABXB ACXC XXXX XDXD
Poetic Form Quatrain  (75%)
Metre 110001 111010 10111 00101010 10101001 110101 1001010 11101 010101 010011 101010 10111 101010 11011 0101010 11001
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 357
Words 60
Sentences 8
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 19
Words per line (avg) 4
Letters per stanza (avg) 74
Words per stanza (avg) 15
Font size:
 

Submitted on October 18, 2014

Modified on March 05, 2023

18 sec read
12

Donald E. Burns

I am sixty-two years old and live in Columbus,Ohio. I was born in Dayton,Ohio where I lived mostof my life.I started writing poetry after my wife of thirty years passed away in October 2000. I was heartbroken and devastated by this.I asked God for a sign to show me she was alright. He gave me more than I asked for. I had a vision of my wife and my grandson who had passed also, that lasted five minutes. It was so beautiful thatwords can't express how I felt.From that, I now write poetry to inspire as many hearts,minds and souls as I can with truthand love. To be written with words that all can understand. It's my thanks to God for what He did for me.I am now married to my first girl friend from jr. high,which is a blessing in itself. Learning how to use the computer for my poetry made that possible. I hadn't seen her for thirty-two years.I even proposed to her with a poem !All things Are possible with God.I more…

All Donald E. Burns poems | Donald E. Burns Books

0 fans

Discuss this Donald E. Burns poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    ""We Punish Ourselves"" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/63775/%22we-punish-ourselves%22>.

    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.
    2
    days
    4
    hours
    17
    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?

    »
    The word "poetry" is from the Greek term "poiesis", which means?
    A Reading
    B Writing
    C Making
    D Saying