Detour



Years on the journey,
Only to arrive at this.
The fire is no longer burning,
The stars were a reach and a miss.

My gun is full of notches,
And my mind is traumatized.
Memories are only blotches,
Of empty stares at the skies.

My future is obscured,
As the cars pass overhead.
My life has been detoured,
I would be better off dead.

Then one dark night,
When the reception was bad.
I thought maybe I might,
And a conception was had.

Continue aimlessly,
In this hell that I allowed.
Or ferociously fight,
For a life that is proud.

Hope my stomachs not queasy,
And I don’t have loose screws.
It will not be easy,
With only my life to lose.

About this poem

I often contemplate what the circumstances were that led a person to give up on life and end up on the street. Was it a series of bad decisions? Then there is the thought about what it would take to get life back after it had been abandoned.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on February 24, 2007

Submitted by JoseCanUC on March 12, 2024

Modified by JoseCanUC on April 27, 2024

45 sec read
10

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABXB CXCX DEDE FGFG AHFH AIAI
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 641
Words 150
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Joe McLaughlin

Raised on a small farm outside of a small town in Texas, I was no stranger to work. It is this work ethic that has propelled my professional success but there is this other side of me. The side that deeply thinks about things. The side with an imagination and a desire to use my hands for more than just brute physical labor. more…

All Joe McLaughlin poems | Joe McLaughlin Books

6 fans

Discuss the poem Detour with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Detour" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/182935/detour>.

    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!

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    21
    days
    8
    hours
    42
    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?

    »
    She recited a poem called "The Hill We Climb" in honor of the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
    A Anita Goldman
    B Samantha Goodman
    C Amanda Gorman
    D Angela Geisman