Skeleton

Royston 1946 (Reading)



The skeleton lay there upon the sea bed.
It was all on its own but had no head.
 
Not liking the thought of being this way
His mind wandered back to another day.

A time when his body possessed a head;
very much alive and was not yet dead.
When upon the Madame Guillotine he lay
waiting the blade to fall and end his day.
With head separated from his body
his poor carcass was thrown into the sea

Not liking the thought of being this way
His mind wandered back to another day.

A time when a ship had drawn alongside,
blasting his galleon with a broadside.
When the Kings sailors had clambered aboard
and all of his men were put to the sword.
He alone was kept alive to be tried
by the courts, when back in France he arrived

Not liking the thought of being this way
His mind wandered back to another day.

To a time when he was king of the sea,
and a Captain with power and majesty.
Sailing the seven seas with a rum crew:
Free, with no one telling him what to do.
Master of all and rider of wind and wave
pirating, sending others to their grave

He relished the thought of being this way
and tried not to go to another day.
Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted by royston on May 02, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:06 min read
17

Quick analysis:

Scheme aa BB aabbcc BB ddeedx BB ccffgg bb
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,118
Words 222
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 2, 2, 6, 2, 6, 2, 6, 2

Royston

Still experimenting with poetry and still learning more…

All Royston poems | Royston Books

5 fans

Discuss the poem Skeleton 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

    "Skeleton" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/98895/skeleton>.

    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!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    7
    days
    20
    hours
    5
    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?

    »
    "I walk down the garden paths, and all the daffodils are blowing"
    A Elizabeth Barrett Browning
    B Amy Lowell
    C Emily Dickinson
    D Gwendolyn Brooks