Analysis of Wanton Tree
Jon Ankers Kilroy 1984 (New York)
Please deliver me from this wanton tree
Absent abode to hopeful reveries
Where branches disperse destinies too late
Fixed happenstance masquerading as fate
Away that lanky maze of twisted sticks
Of dead-end trails rooted in wicked tricks
Of bark so arched that when bent composes
Askew assemblies of plastic roses
From the bottom I climbed in search of love
Presumed the ruse of truths so spoken of
Yet perched atop the crown I now perceive
Absolutely no beauty in this tree
That night my sights enticed by that of grace
Suddenly noticed something out of place
A broken branch otherwise much endowed
Silently feather fallen to the ground
Hidden about amongst the blades of grass
Discovered with periscope looking glass
Upon a mossy stick a peak doth preen
The most beautiful rose I’ve ever seen
Soon ropes and ladders abetted my way
All in the hopes that that flower would stay
Although adorned in thorns I don’t deserve
Such wondrous splendor I wish to preserve
And so I shall if plight and prospect be
Reside nearby my heart with honesty
Plush piles of petal saunter through my grasp
Voluptuous red color makes me gasp
Upon such a promise I do propose
Forever to cherish my chosen rose
Keep safe this rose from all evil intent
Till the days have waned and the time has spent
Scheme | AXBB CCDD EEXA FFXX GGHH IIJJ AAKK LLMM |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (63%) |
Metre | 1010111101 1001110100 1100110011 11001011 0111011101 1111100101 1111111010 0101011010 1010110111 0101111101 1101011101 010110011 1111011111 1001010111 010110101 1001010101 1001010111 010110101 010110111 0110011101 1101001011 1001111011 101011101 1101011101 0111110101 0111111100 1111010111 0100110111 0110101101 0101101101 1111111001 1011100111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,287 |
Words | 232 |
Sentences | 1 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 131 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 28 |
About this poem
This poem is about the continuous search for love despite experiencing only sad and broken relationships in the past. The tree is a metaphor for misfortune and the rose is a metaphor for hope/new love.
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"Wanton Tree" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/124436/wanton-tree>.
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