Analysis of Desert Dance (Revised)
Adultery is the crime for which I now stand
Buried to the neck and bound. The true
Criminal: buried beside me to his waist, in
Desert sand. Masha'Allah*, may the innocent
Escape more pain. I see that it is written!
First, tilt chin to right and left. Soon, I will
Go. This man deserves no escape, but I
Hate him not, for I can dance. Head slides:
In a circle. Oven heat burns charcoal eyes.
Just watch the sand fall. I will live after all.
Knuckle undulations-feel patience in agony.
Lift and drop chest, with blood on my face.
My thief watches, more lust than imagination;
Nothing but blood can he love, not even life.
Oh, justice is sweet! Shoulder circles, hands
Perfectly still. He is angry. Twist hands. He
Questions his Writer. I will ask no questions.
Rip the cords with long, sharp finger nails.
Slow chest circles, iron snake arms, with a
Twisting of hips, and freedom is breathing
Under the sand, I feel it. My arms are strong.
Vibrations of the knees, for strings, and omis*.
Writer, I pray, write me well. Know my worth.
Slow ankle circles. I untie myself. Thank you!
Xenolith no longer am I, now free to shine.
You see? The guilty will not go free. I see his
Zealous anger. He will die, yet I'm alive-Maktub!*
*"Masha'Allah" means "if Allah wills it". This phrase is used to discuss anything that will happen in the future, as Allah "writes" all things that will happen, in Islam.
*An "omi" is a common Middle Eastern dance movement.
*"Maktub" means "It is written" or "Allah wills it".
Scheme | XAXBCXXDXXEXCXXEXXXXXDXAXXX X B X |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 010010111111 101010101 100100111110 101110100 01111111110 1111101111 1110110111 111111111 0010101111 11011111101 1011100100 101111111 11101110010 10111111101 1101110101 10011110111 10110111110 101111101 1110101110 1011010110 10011111111 0101011101 1011111111 11010101111 1110111111 110101111111 101011111011 1111011111110110111000101101111110001 1110101010110 11111011011 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,470 |
Words | 272 |
Sentences | 38 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 27, 1, 1, 1 |
Lines Amount | 30 |
Letters per line (avg) | 38 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 285 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 68 |
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Submitted on May 02, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:23 min read
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"Desert Dance (Revised)" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/69388/desert-dance-%28revised%29>.
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