Analysis of Discomfort



I had to look it up
What a strange piece of history--
Hair shirt.
Once I knew the meaning
my mind would not stop racing

Whose hair?
Is my hair shirt woven from?

My first thought is my husband
but it is almost too easy
to blame him for my itchy life

Next I think of my mother
perhaps it is woven
from her greybrownblonde hair
but in truth I know
she tried her best to relieve me
of any itch I ever had

Digging deeper, the more obvious choice
would be my father.
Intentional or not,
he has made my life very itchy

but I am just not sure
that my hair shirt is woven from his hair.
Besides,
he does not have much left.

Eventually it becomes obvious
but I am not sure that I like the answer.

I realize in a calm panic.
My hair shirt is woven from my hair.
My own itchy hair.


Scheme XAXBB CX XAX DXCXAX XDXA XCXX XD XCC
Poetic Form
Metre 111111 10111100 11 111010 1111110 11 1111101 1111110 1111110 11111101 1111110 011110 1011 10111 11011011 11011101 1010011001 11110 010011 111111010 111111 1111110111 01 111111 01000101100 11111111010 11000110 111110111 11101
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 741
Words 158
Sentences 10
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 5, 2, 3, 6, 4, 4, 2, 3
Lines Amount 29
Letters per line (avg) 21
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 75
Words per stanza (avg) 20
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Submitted on May 01, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

47 sec read
4

Mwalimu

My name is Theresa, I love to write and read poetry. My favourite poet is Billy Collins. I am mainly inspired to write by everyday happenings or feelings, and I often write with some humour or sarcasm. My travel experiences have also influenced my writing, some of my favourite places to travel have been Cuba, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa. I was born in Canada but I am now living and teaching in the Middle East. Please feel free to leave comments or suggestions on any of my poems. more…

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