Analysis of circus

Ron McKinnon 1948 (Windsor)



functioning atop tightropes
jumping through hoops ablaze with fire
leaping from horse to horse
in surrealistic somersaults
leaving one trapeze behind for another
liquid in air
ears red with passion
loins lose
hands calloused with the thrill
never believing the string will end
never the thought of the miss
then
the foot not square to rope or balance ready
the blistering hoops of heat
the reality of only half a flip
the shying horse, tired of circling
the glance down to the net
feeling the slip in the mind
seeing for the first time
the clown beneath the makeup


Scheme ABAABCDAEFAGHIJKLMNO
Poetic Form Etheree  (40%)
Tetractys  (35%)
Metre 100011 101101110 101111 001010 10101011010 1001 11110 11 110101 100100111 1001101 1 01111111010 0100111 010110101 0101101100 011101 1001001 101011 010101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 564
Words 99
Sentences 1
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 20
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 465
Words per stanza (avg) 99

About this poem

Confidence is necessary if one if to be successful in life. In this poem I use aspects of a circus to point out what confidence in oneself can help one achieve while a lack of confidence can be debilitating and destructive. .

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Written on May 20, 1976

Submitted by mcks on February 05, 2023

Modified on April 02, 2023

29 sec read
6

Ron McKinnon

A Nanaimo BC resident, I began writing poetry while working in Squamish. BC, and have continued writing ever since. more…

All Ron McKinnon poems | Ron McKinnon Books

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