Analysis of Delusions Of Virtue
John Jessup Kennan 1953 (Pomona)
Shedding her finest obscenities,
Snakeskin laws masterfully cursed,
Her community standards slither
Through twisted ratholes in the universe.
The sheen -- obscene? Magnificat?
The shimmer of a soul aglow?
However holy a spectre appear,
Could it be it's just another show?
Perhaps it's best you turn away.
Go light yourself a candle, then,
And leave your finest fantasies
For those equipped to handle them.
Serpentine turns the trailways take,
An adventure around each twist.
Is the voice that guides you righteous,
Or just another ventriloquist?
She appears again -- a trickster? --
Clothed in bodysuit of snakesin.
Is it just her latest conquest?
Shall we notify your next of kin?
Perhaps it's best you turn away,
Go light yourself a candle, then,
And leave your finest fantasies
For those equipped to handle them.
The dancing lovely, Mind's Eye tricks,
The choosing of your next of skin,
Perhaps she'll guide you to the Truth!
Perhaps you're just another whim.
So when she comes, enticing you,
Defend your working vital parts.
Test the spirits with vigilance,
And keep your 'I' above your heart.
© John Kennan 7-20-19
Scheme | abcx bdxd EFAG xxxb cfxh EFAG xhxx xxxx x |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 100100100 1110001 001001010 11010010 01011 01010101 101001001 111110101 01111101 11010101 01110100 11011101 101011 10100111 10111110 110101 10101010 10111 11101010 11101111 01111101 11010101 01110100 11011101 01010111 01011111 01111101 01110101 11110101 01110101 10101100 01110111 110 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,090 |
Words | 185 |
Sentences | 19 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 1 |
Lines Amount | 33 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 98 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 21 |
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"Delusions Of Virtue" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/100811/delusions-of-virtue>.
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