If I Were
If I were a centipede hidden in the leaves
What would I think of the birds and the bees?
What would I think of the giants and trees
The streams of water or a summer's breeze?
If I were a hummingbird hovering in air
What would I care of war and despair?
What would I care of the here or there
Beyond the nectar of a flower and a nesting lair?
If I were a fox on a cunning path
What would I want with the this or that?
What would I want that I couldn’t have
Berries packaged in a plastic bag?
If I were an otter floating the river
Why would I bother to try to differ?
Why would I bother with another endeavor
When I could enjoy the bounty that nature offers?
If I were a whale feeding on brine
What tales would I tell in my passing of time?
What tales would I tell of the creation of life
Of the earth and the sun, of the moon and the tide?
If I were a flower in the morning sun
Would I count the hours until my time is done?
Would I count the showers that have come and gone
Or remember the song that a bird had sung?
If I were a rock on top of a mountain
Might I have thoughts of finding the ocean?
Might I have thoughts of becoming the sand
As I tumble through the valleys becoming a thousand?
About this poem
I was just out in my garden and noticed a centipede. As I crouched down to view it a hummingbird hovered above me, drank from a flower, and then perched in a tree across the yard. I sat there and wrote this poem...
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Submitted by Trevdowell on August 08, 2023
- 1:20 min read
- 55 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XAAA BBBB XXXX CCCX XXXX DDXX DDXX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,203 |
Words | 268 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"If I Were" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/168152/if-i-were>.
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