Analysis of First confession
When we were six years old
innocent to life's evil
partial to youthful mischief
ignorant to confession
Playing children's games
we lived without fear
no need for a conscience
of a soul to be vamped
Our teacher one day told us
to go to the parish priest
for our first confession of sin
perhaps then we may start anew
We made our way
down the long lane
the granite stone twinkled
bathed in the sunlight
Our round faces shining
awash with innocence
merriment and folly
was our need and endeavour
Voices rose unchallenged
upon the breast of early spring
captured by the early hour
we marched like an army of ants
We were free and untamed
broken from the drudge
the dragging soulless feet
of a never ending school day
The lane neared its end
as in the distance stood with pride
the great spire of the chapel reaching
our freshened cheeks in enchanted awe
As the parish priest stood waiting
hands squeezed tightly by his side
upon his face a venomous stare
sternly with open eyed fierceness
From his obsidian eyes grew
and most daring scornful stare
draped in his ebony shroud
that hung from an ivory noose
His voice spoke like stone
cold and unwelcoming
his chiselled silver bearded
hung from his jaw like a barrow
Our mad stomp abruptly stopped
we were free no more
the fresh gleam had frozen
as he led us like lambs to slaughter
We filed in slowly and frightened
the church of god was vast
washed in an eerie silence
a dead chill laid upon the air
The bile consuming scent
of burned out candle smoke
still frozen in their waxen pools
ghosts whispering in the vestry
Asked to confess for innocent sins
kicking dogs or apples stolen
twenty five years since I have been
now many confessions I could have told
Scheme | AXXB CDEA XXFG HXXX IEXJ XIJX AXXH XKIX IKLC GLXX XIXX XXBJ XXEL XXXD XBFA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (37%) |
Metre | 110111 1001110 1011010 1001010 10101 11011 111010 101111 10101111 1110101 110101011 01111101 11101 1011 010110 1001 1011010 011100 1010 11010010 101010 01011101 10101010 11111011 10101 10101 010101 10101011 01111 10010111 011101010 1010100101 10101110 1110111 011101001 1011011 11010011 0110101 1011001 11111001 11111 101 111010 11111010 10110101 10111 011110 111111110 11010010 011111 1011010 01110101 010101 111101 1100111 1100001 110111001 10111010 10111111 1100101111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,643 |
Words | 310 |
Sentences | 1 |
Stanzas | 15 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 60 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 93 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 21 |
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Submitted on March 01, 2017
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:33 min read
- 1 View
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"First confession" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/71286/first-confession>.
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