Worthless



Your chest up high, you accept the reward,
given to you just because that’s what’s done.
Upright you stand, although the stink of bored
cowardice seems to thrive in the show run.
The words addressed to you – like shrimp wonton,
and soup served to placate the guests’ mood,
gathered there for the drinks and food -
they are hollow, bitter proof of blunt crap.
Later, back home, you feel tired and nude,
sick of the woes won in a worker’s trap.
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Submitted by ludy_b on May 02, 2021

Modified by ludy_b on November 19, 2021

26 sec read
131

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABBCCDCD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 452
Words 89
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 10

Ludy Bührs

The topics she writes about are very diverse, so are the poetry styles she applies. As a Dutch translator and poet, having lived in Cambodia's capital city Phnom Penh for 2.5 years, in 2008 she published "Op de ruïnes van een rijk" (On the Ruins of an Empire) ISBN 978-90-8834-483-1 with 60 poems based on her experiences there. In 2007 she received a Certificate of Accomplishment as one of The Best Poems and Poets of 2007 issued by poetry.com and the International Library of Poetry for her poem Choked Truth, her own translation of "Verstikte waarheid", one of the poems in the book. Born in 1956, she still works as an independent translator, translating from English into Dutch. more…

All Ludy Bührs poems | Ludy Bührs Books

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2 Comments
  • RonaldBunch
    Well done, awesome poem.
    LikeReply 13 months ago
    • ludy_b
      Thank you very much!
      LikeReply3 months ago
  • luisestable1
    The first two lines of this poem suggest that this is a routine procedure. It is based on what is usually done, not on the basis of recognition or merit but just an empty gesture thus the name of the poem is well-chosen.
    The rhyme-scheme is not bad.
    This is a good poem to read.
     
    LikeReply 13 months ago
    • ludy_b
      Thanks Luis
      LikeReply3 months ago

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"Worthless" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/98904/worthless>.

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