Analysis of Yallourn



Toasted cinnamon buns,
hot, flavoursome and sweet,
made for Easter morning
with laughter and delight;
a day full of meaning.

Toasted cinnamon buns,
the never forgotten
scent as they were rising
in the warmth of an old
wood stove; yeast cells growing.

Toasted cinnamon buns,
the cross carefully placed
to symbolise our hope,
our childhood dreams of joy;
rainbows, bubbles of soap.

Toasted cinnamon buns,
butter overflowing,
each cheerful smiling face;
so very long ago,
now lost without a trace.

NOTES:
I was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, but migrated to Australia in 1957. We moved to the small town of Yallourn, in Victoria, in 1959, where we lived until my sister and I left to attend tertiary education in Melbourne. Not long afterwards, during the 1970s, this beautiful and unique little town was obliterated from the face of the earth under the auspices of economic rationalism. An entire generation mourns its loss to this day. Not even a plaque was put there to commemorate our lives and its destruction. There is a short entry in Wikipedia, and several books have been written about Yallourn. The site is now remembered mainly for its power stations.

This poem refers to the memories of warmth as we sat in our kitchen, heated by an old wood stove, which we used for most of our cooking. Easter was always a special time, and the town looked particularly beautiful in autumn, when the many mature deciduous trees changed colour.

The poem is in the format of a ‘Monchielle’, where each line has 6 syllables, the first line repeats in each verse, and there are four verses, each with 5 lines. The third and fifth line of each verse rhyme.


Scheme Axbxb Axbxb Axcxc Abdxd xa x x
Poetic Form
Metre 101001 1101 111010 110001 011110 101001 010010 111010 001111 111110 101001 011001 11101 101111 11011 101001 10100 110101 110101 110101 1 11101001110101001110111100100011101110011101100010010111001001110000110110100101101100100101011010010111111110011111010101010101101100101011110011011101010111010 11001101001111101010101111111111110101011010100111000100010101001100111 0101001101111110001101011011110111010111111
Characters 1,624
Words 284
Sentences 15
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 5, 5, 5, 5, 2, 1, 1
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 55
Words per line (avg) 12
Letters per stanza (avg) 187
Words per stanza (avg) 41
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 01, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:25 min read
6

Inge Meldgaard

Born in Denmark in 1953, I migrated to Australia with my family in 1957. After spending my school years in Yallourn, I moved to Melbourne in 1970 to attend Monash University. Having graduated with a science degree in 1975, I worked in various fields, such as youth work, teaching, politics (with a special interest in the natural environment), social research, community development, and finally, information technology. I have also completed two graduate diplomas: one in sociology and the other in information technology, both at Swinburne University. Now retired, my last position was as an IT Manager at Monash University. Gardening, art, poetry and writing have also been life-long interests.I have recently published my first book, 'The Cicada', which is a crime/mystery novel, set in Australia, four hundred years into the future.Website: ingemeldgaard.daportfolio.com more…

All Inge Meldgaard poems | Inge Meldgaard Books

1 fan

Discuss this Inge Meldgaard poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Yallourn" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/91770/yallourn>.

    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!

    More poems by

    Inge Meldgaard

    »

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    15
    hours
    25
    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?

    »
    I wandered lonely as a _______ that floats on high o'er vales and hills
    A star
    B flower
    C cloud
    D bird