The House Of Dust: Part 02: 08: The Box With Silver Handles Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCADEFDGHICGAJAKLMN OPAQRSTAFGUVWXAYAZA2 NB2JC2JD2AE2KAF2G2AH 2I2J2K2KGL2UGAAA2G| Well mdash it was two days after my husband died mdash | A |
| Two days And the earth still raw above him | B |
| And I was sweeping the carpet in their hall | C |
| In number four mdash the room with the red wall paper mdash | A |
| Some chorus girls and men were singing that song | D |
| 'They'll soon be lighting candles | E |
| Round a box with silver handles' mdash and hearing them sing it | F |
| I started to cry Just then he came along | D |
| And stopped on the stairs and turned and looked at me | G |
| And took the cigar from his mouth and sort of smiled | H |
| And said 'Say what's the matter ' and then came down | I |
| Where I was leaning against the wall | C |
| And touched my shoulder and put his arm around me | G |
| And I was so sad thinking about it mdash | A |
| Thinking that it was raining and a cold night | J |
| With Jim so unaccustomed to being dead mdash | A |
| That I was happy to have him sympathize | K |
| To feel his arm and leaned against him and cried | L |
| And before I knew it he got me into a room | M |
| Where a table was set and no one there | N |
| And sat me down on a sofa and held me close | O |
| And talked to me telling me not to cry | P |
| That it was all right he'd look after me mdash | A |
| But not to cry my eyes were getting red | Q |
| Which didn't make me pretty And he was so nice | R |
| That when he turned my face between his hands | S |
| And looked at me with those blue eyes of his | T |
| And smiled and leaned and kissed me mdash | A |
| Somehow I couldn't tell him not to do it | F |
| Somehow I didn't mind I let him kiss me | G |
| And closed my eyes Well that was how it started | U |
| For when my heart was eased with crying and grief | V |
| Had passed and left me quiet somehow it seemed | W |
| As if it wasn't honest to change my mind | X |
| To send him away or say I hadn't meant it mdash | A |
| And anyway it seemed so hard to explain | Y |
| And so we sat and talked not talking much | A |
| But meaning as much in silence as in words | Z |
| There in that empty room with palms about us | A2 |
| That private dining room And as we sat there | N |
| I felt my future changing day by day | B2 |
| With unknown streets opening left and right | J |
| New streets with farther lights new taller houses | C2 |
| Doors swinging into hallways filled with light | J |
| Half opened luminous windows with white curtains | D2 |
| Streaming out in the night and sudden music mdash | A |
| And thinking of this and through it half remembering | E2 |
| A quick and horrible death my husband's eyes | K |
| The broken plastered walls my boy asleep mdash | A |
| It seemed as if my brain would break in two | F2 |
| My voice began to tremble and when I stood | G2 |
| And told him I must go and said good night mdash | A |
| I couldn't see the end How would it end | H2 |
| Would he return to morrow Or would he not | I2 |
| And did I want him to mdash or would I rather | J2 |
| Look for another job mdash He took my shoulders | K2 |
| Between his hands and looked down into my eyes | K |
| And smiled and said good night If he had kissed me | G |
| That would have mdash well I don't know but he didn't | L2 |
| And so I went downstairs then half elated | U |
| Hoping to close the door before that party | G |
| In number four should sing that song again mdash | A |
| 'They'll soon be lighting candles round a box with silver handles' mdash | A |
| And sure enough I did I faced the darkness | A2 |
| And my eyes were filled with tears And I was happy | G |
Conrad Potter Aiken
(1)
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About The House Of Dust: Part 02: 08: The Box With Silver Handles
The House Of Dust: Part 02: 08: The Box With Silver Handles is a poem by Conrad Potter Aiken. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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