Analysis of Knife Returned
John Jessup Kennan 1953 (Pomona)
I'm sorry for being insensitive
I really should be more considerate
I'm sorry for being so hurtful
Bleeding on your carpet like that
I'm sorry that I wasn't able
To bleed more politely for you
Feel free to send me the bill, dear
I'll pay whatever is due
To the gracious hand of politeness
The mask of kindness firm on its face
The Altared Ego's sacrifice
The knife returns to its rightful place
Sweet taste of flesh, sweet smell of smoke
Rise from the flame of desire
They line up to bleed at your alter
The ashes of many afire
Another conqueror laid to rest
The gun returns from its hire
'Cause men will always love a tramp
But nobody loves a liar
To the gracious hand of politeness
The mask of kindness firm on its face
The Altared Ego's sacrifice
The knife returns to its rightful place
I've wiped it clean of fingerprints
I should have believed when you said
That you are completely faithless
A man can't possibly raise from the dead
Yet here I am, fresh from the grave
Alive, with a scar like a grin
As you worship yourself at the altar
Plunging the sacrificial blade in
To the gracious hand of politeness
The mask of kindness firm on its face
The Altared Ego's sacrifice
The knife returns to its rightful place
© John Kennan 4-13-14
Scheme | xxax abxb CDED xffx xfxf CDED xgcg xhfh CDED x |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101100100 1101110100 110110110 10111011 110111010 11101011 11111011 111011 101011010 011101111 01110 010111101 11111111 11011010 111111110 01011001 010100111 01011110 1111101 111010 101011010 011101111 01110 010111101 1111110 11101111 1110101 0111001101 11111101 01101101 1110011010 10001010 101011010 011101111 01110 010111101 110 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,226 |
Words | 230 |
Sentences | 1 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 1 |
Lines Amount | 37 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 99 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 23 |
Font size:
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Knife Returned" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 3 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/100746/knife-returned>.
Discuss this John Jessup Kennan poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In