Analysis of What Could Have Been

Joe Strickland 1986 (Hobbysville, SC)



The weight of failure hangs heavy
On my tired, beaten shoulders.
I hesitate, unsure and unsteady,
Floundering in the face of loss.

I try to keep my head up high,
But sometimes it feels like the dome
Is crushing down upon me,
Mocking my efforts to succeed.

Through the haze of disappointment,
I see the ghosts of missed chances,
Remnants of what could have been
If only I had been a little braver.


Scheme AXAX XXAX XXXX
Poetic Form
Metre 01110110 11101010 110010010 10000111 11111111 10111101 1101011 10110101 1011010 11011110 1011111 11011101010
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 398
Words 83
Sentences 4
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 12
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 104
Words per stanza (avg) 24
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Written on May 20, 2023

Submitted by JoeStrickland on May 20, 2023

24 sec read
19

Joe Strickland

I'm just a regular, blue collar, working stiff who took an interest in writing poetry many years ago but until recently I haven't had a desire to share any with anyone or pursue publication. I'm an unpublished fork lift operator by night, and a day drinker by choice. I can be followed on Twitter @JoeStricklandSC more…

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