A Miracle For Breakfast Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABACDE EADBCA AECABD DABEAC CDAAEB BCEDAA ADA| At six o'clock we were waiting for coffee | A |
| waiting for coffee and the charitable crumb | B |
| that was going to be served from a certain balcony | A |
| like kings of old or like a miracle | C |
| It was still dark One foot of the sun | D |
| steadied itself on a long ripple in the river | E |
| - | |
| The first ferry of the day had just crossed the river | E |
| It was so cold we hoped that the coffee | A |
| would be very hot seeing that the sun | D |
| was not going to warm us and that the crumb | B |
| would be a loaf each buttered by a miracle | C |
| At seven a man stepped out on the balcony | A |
| - | |
| He stood for a minute alone on the balcony | A |
| looking over our heads toward the river | E |
| A servant handed him the makings of a miracle | C |
| consisting of one lone cup of coffee | A |
| and one roll which he proceeded to crumb | B |
| his head so to speak in the clouds along with the sun | D |
| - | |
| Was the man crazy What under the sun | D |
| was he trying to do up there on his balcony | A |
| Each man received one rather hard crumb | B |
| which some flicked scornfully into the river | E |
| and in a cup one drop of the coffee | A |
| Some of us stood around waiting for the miracle | C |
| - | |
| I can tell what I saw next it was not a miracle | C |
| A beautiful villa stood in the sun | D |
| and from its doors came the smell of hot coffee | A |
| In front a baroque white plaster balcony | A |
| added by birds who nest along the river | E |
| I saw it with one eye close to the crumb | B |
| - | |
| and galleries and marble chambers My crumb | B |
| my mansion made for me by a miracle | C |
| through ages by insects birds and the river | E |
| working the stone Every day in the sun | D |
| at breakfast time I sit on my balcony | A |
| with my feet up and drink gallons of coffee | A |
| - | |
| We licked up the crumb and swallowed the coffee | A |
| A window across the river caught the sun | D |
| as if the miracle were working on the wrong balcony | A |
Elizabeth Bishop
(2)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
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