The Cross-roads Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFFGH FFIFJKLM N O PQRO STUSVWFNGXHYZ LA2B2FC2D2O QE2OF2YZG2H2I2J2K2 OL2QM2ZN2QOFP O2N2P2Q2E2P2 QSOQ2P2 ZWOR2OOOKS2Y OOT2O HHO GO U2V2N2W2HU2X2Y2HM| A bullet through his heart at dawn On the table a letter signed | A |
| with a woman's name A wind that goes howling round the house | B |
| and weeping as in shame Cold November dawn peeping through the windows | C |
| cold dawn creeping over the floor creeping up his cold legs | D |
| creeping over his cold body creeping across his cold face | E |
| A glaze of thin yellow sunlight on the staring eyes Wind howling | F |
| through bent branches A wind which never dies down Howling wailing | F |
| The gazing eyes glitter in the sunlight The lids are frozen open | G |
| and the eyes glitter | H |
| - | |
| - | |
| The thudding of a pick on hard earth A spade grinding and crunching | F |
| Overhead branches writhing winding interlacing unwinding scattering | F |
| tortured twinings tossings creakings Wind flinging branches apart | I |
| drawing them together whispering and whining among them A waning | F |
| lobsided moon cutting through black clouds A stream of pebbles and earth | J |
| and the empty spade gleams clear in the moonlight then is rammed again | K |
| into the black earth Tramping of feet Men and horses | L |
| Squeaking of wheels | M |
| - | |
| 'Whoa Ready Jim ' | - |
| - | |
| 'All ready ' | - |
| - | |
| Something falls settles is still Suicides have no coffin | N |
| - | |
| 'Give us the stake Jim Now ' | - |
| - | |
| Pound Pound | O |
| - | |
| 'He'll never walk Nailed to the ground ' | - |
| - | |
| An ash stick pierces his heart if it buds the roots will hold him | P |
| He is a part of the earth now clay to clay Overhead the branches sway | Q |
| and writhe and twist in the wind He'll never walk with a bullet | R |
| in his heart and an ash stick nailing him to the cold black ground | O |
| - | |
| - | |
| Six months he lay still Six months And the water welled up in his body | S |
| and soft blue spots chequered it He lay still for the ash stick | T |
| held him in place Six months Then her face came out of a mist of green | U |
| Pink and white and frail like Dresden china lilies of the valley | S |
| at her breast puce coloured silk sheening about her Under the young | V |
| green leaves the horse at a foot pace the high yellow wheels of the chaise | W |
| scarcely turning her face rippling like grain a blowing | F |
| under her puce coloured bonnet and burning beside her flaming within | N |
| his correct blue coat and brass buttons is someone What has dimmed the sun | G |
| The horse steps on a rolling stone a wind in the branches makes a moan | X |
| The little leaves tremble and shake turn and quake over and over | H |
| tearing their stems There is a shower of young leaves | Y |
| and a sudden sprung gale wails in the trees | Z |
| - | |
| The yellow wheeled chaise is rocking rocking and all the branches | L |
| are knocking knocking The sun in the sky is a flat red plate | A2 |
| the branches creak and grate She screams and cowers for the green foliage | B2 |
| is a lowering wave surging to smother her But she sees nothing | F |
| The stake holds firm The body writhes the body squirms | C2 |
| The blue spots widen the flesh tears but the stake wears well | D2 |
| in the deep black ground It holds the body in the still black ground | O |
| - | |
| - | |
| Two years The body has been in the ground two years It is worn away | Q |
| it is clay to clay Where the heart moulders a greenish dust the stake | E2 |
| is thrust Late August it is and night a night flauntingly jewelled | O |
| with stars a night of shooting stars and loud insect noises | F2 |
| Down the road to Tilbury silence and the slow flapping of large leaves | Y |
| Down the road to Sutton silence and the darkness of heavy foliaged trees | Z |
| Down the road to Wayfleet silence and the whirring scrape of insects | G2 |
| in the branches Down the road to Edgarstown silence and stars like | H2 |
| stepping stones in a pathway overhead It is very quiet at the cross roads | I2 |
| and the sign board points the way down the four roads endlessly points | J2 |
| the way where nobody wishes to go | K2 |
| - | |
| A horse is galloping galloping up from Sutton Shaking the wide | O |
| still leaves as he goes under them Striking sparks with his iron shoes | L2 |
| silencing the katydids Dr Morgan riding to a child birth over Tilbury way | Q |
| riding to deliver a woman of her first born son One o'clock from | M2 |
| Wayfleet bell tower what a shower of shooting stars And a breeze | Z |
| all of a sudden jarring the big leaves and making them jerk up and down | N2 |
| Dr Morgan's hat is blown from his head the horse swerves and curves away | Q |
| from the sign post An oath spurs a blurring of grey mist | O |
| A quick left twist and the gelding is snorting and racing | F |
| down the Tilbury road with the wind dropping away behind him | P |
| - | |
| The stake has wrenched the stake has started the body flesh from flesh | O2 |
| has parted But the bones hold tight socket and ball and clamping them down | N2 |
| in the hard black ground is the stake wedged through ribs and spine | P2 |
| The bones may twist and heave and twine but the stake holds them still | Q2 |
| in line The breeze goes down and the round stars shine for the stake | E2 |
| holds the fleshless bones in line | P2 |
| - | |
| - | |
| Twenty years now Twenty long years The body has powdered itself away | Q |
| it is clay to clay It is brown earth mingled with brown earth Only flaky | S |
| bones remain lain together so long they fit although not one bone is knit | O |
| to another The stake is there too rotted through but upright still | Q2 |
| and still piercing down between ribs and spine in a straight line | P2 |
| - | |
| Yellow stillness is on the cross roads yellow stillness is on the trees | Z |
| The leaves hang drooping wan The four roads point four yellow ways | W |
| saffron and gamboge ribbons to the gaze A little swirl of dust | O |
| blows up Tilbury road the wind which fans it has not strength to do more | R2 |
| it ceases and the dust settles down A little whirl of wind | O |
| comes up Tilbury road It brings a sound of wheels and feet | O |
| The wind reels a moment and faints to nothing under the sign post | O |
| Wind again wheels and feet louder Wind again again again | K |
| A drop of rain flat into the dust Drop Drop Thick heavy raindrops | S2 |
| and a shrieking wind bending the great trees and wrenching off their leaves | Y |
| - | |
| Under the black sky bowed and dripping with rain up Tilbury road | O |
| comes the procession A funeral procession bound for the graveyard | O |
| at Wayfleet Feet and wheels feet and wheels And among them | T2 |
| one who is carried | O |
| - | |
| The bones in the deep still earth shiver and pull There is a quiver | H |
| through the rotted stake Then stake and bones fall together | H |
| in a little puffing of dust | O |
| - | |
| Like meshes of linked steel the rain shuts down behind the procession | G |
| now well along the Wayfleet road | O |
| - | |
| He wavers like smoke in the buffeting wind His fingers blow out like smoke | U2 |
| his head ripples in the gale Under the sign post in the pouring rain | V2 |
| he stands and watches another quavering figure drifting down | N2 |
| the Wayfleet road Then swiftly he streams after it It flickers | W2 |
| among the trees He licks out and winds about them Over under | H |
| blown contorted Spindrift after spindrift smoke following smoke | U2 |
| There is a wailing through the trees a wailing of fear | X2 |
| and after it laughter laughter laughter skirling up to the black sky | Y2 |
| Lightning jags over the funeral procession A heavy clap of thunder | H |
| Then darkness and rain and the sound of feet and wheels | M |
Amy Lowell
(1)
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About The Cross-roads
The Cross-roads is a poem by Amy Lowell. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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