A Portrait
Dorothy Parker 1893 (Long Branch) – 1967 (New York City)
Because my love is quick to come and go-
A little here, and then a little there-
What use are any words of mine to swear
My heart is stubborn, and my spirit slow
Of weathering the drip and drive of woe?
What is my oath, when you have but to bare
My little, easy loves; and I can dare
Only to shrug, and answer, "They are so"?
You do not know how heavy a heart it is
That hangs about my neck- a clumsy stone
Cut with a birth, a death, a bridal-day.
Each time I love, I find it still my own,
Who take it, now to that lad, now to this,
Seeking to give the wretched thing away.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 87 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBAABBA XCDCXD |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 568 |
Words | 123 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 6 |
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"A Portrait" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 17 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/8112/a-portrait>.
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