The Syncopated Riddle of Life



A pulse, a heartbeat, a human breath.
The waves of the ocean.
A billowing cloud floating by.
Tree leaves blowing in the wind.

The soft mewing of a kitten, a pig’s harsh grunt.
The quacking of a caring mother duck.
The cawing of blackbirds in flight.
The screeching of a nested tree owl.

A bevy of winsome schoolgirls.
In a choreograph of laughter.
Giggling cheerfully with sweet innocence.
Frolicking idly during school recess.

The gawking of adolescent schoolboys.
Admiring spritely young maidens.
Skipping up and down the pavement.
In merriment that it’s springtime.

Syncopated harmony of Earth’s creatures.
A choir of majestic concord.
All singing of the great riddle.
The syncopated riddle of life.

And I a poet registering.
Registering with my heartbeat.
Joining that polyphonic symphony.
Lyrically in verses of sweet praise.

About this poem

During the Spring season, the forsythia in bloom delightfully parades her golden colors. The daffodils join in the gay display. Red-breasted robins come out to chirp along. The honeysuckle blooms in merriment, gleefully tempting dancing hummingbirds and flittering butterflies to savor their sweet nectar. All of nature is in joyful celebration, celebrating with syncopated dance and music the riddle of life.

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Written on April 01, 2022

Submitted by karlcfolkes on April 01, 2022

Modified on March 05, 2023

48 sec read
461

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXX AXXX BXBB BBAX BXXX XXXB
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 841
Words 161
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Karl Constantine FOLKES

Retired educator of Jamaican ancestry with a lifelong interest in composing poetry dealing particularly with the metaphysics of self-reflection; completed a dissertation in Children’s Literature in 1991 at New York University entitled: An Analysis of Wilhelm Grimm’s “Dear Mili” Employing Von Franzian Methodological Processes of Analytical Psychology. The subject of the dissertation concerned the process of Individuation. more…

All Karl Constantine FOLKES poems | Karl Constantine FOLKES Books

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Discuss the poem The Syncopated Riddle of Life with the community...

3 Comments
  • karlcfolkes
    Life: Movement and stasis in constant syncopation
    LikeReply7 months ago
  • Vixility
    Life and be dark and brutal and monstrous. What I like most about this poem is that it is a celebration of life’s (I almost want to say Life’s) more more beautiful manifestations. The vernacular throughout is also compelling. 
    LikeReply7 months ago
    • Vixility
      “Life can be …”
      LikeReply7 months ago
  • teril
    Your poetic rhythm does indeed seem to join in with the moments that you have shared with us.
    LikeReply1 year ago

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"The Syncopated Riddle of Life" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/123576/the-syncopated-riddle-of-life>.

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Who wrote the poem "School Boy" as a part of the poetry collection entitled "Songs of Experience"?
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