Incomplete
Joe Strickland 1986 (Hobbysville, SC)
they say I've done a lot,
my name etched on diplomas
and resumes like a promise,
kept but still I wake
with the taste of unfinished
business on my tongue.
I guess I've done a lot
the faces of loved ones
blurring like a watercolor
in the rain my memories
of triumphs and failures
indistinguishable as scars
but there's more I need to do
the hunger in my belly
a void that echoes
with every step forward
a sense of incompleteness
that haunts me like a ghost
the only problem
I don't know what that is
a question mark that hangs
like a noose around my neck
a silence that swallows
every attempt at an answer
About this poem
This poem explores the tension between the speaker's past accomplishments and their current sense of restlessness, as well as the anxiety of not knowing what comes next. The final line, with its haunting image of a question mark as a noose, emphasizes the speaker's sense of being trapped by their own uncertainty.
Written on May 25, 2024
Submitted by JoeStrickland on May 25, 2024
- 37 sec read
- 2 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABXXXX AXCXXX XXDXBX XXXXDC |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 607 |
Words | 122 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6 |
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Citation
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"Incomplete" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/188303/incomplete>.
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