Counting Descent

“Counting Descent” is written in free verse. It is 58 lines long, and all lines are roughly the same length. The lines are divided into 14 four-line stanzas and one two-line stanza at the very end.

Regular stanza breaks create a sense of rhythm for the reader. The first two stanzas are the most regular: both stanzas are one sentence long, beginning with the capitalized first word of the sentence and ending with a period. Aside from these stanzas, some are end-stopped with a period, and others begin with the first word of a sentence, but none of them have both features. Stanza 16, the last one, stands out visually for only being two lines long:

I celebrate every breath, tried to start counting

them so I wouldn’t take each one for granted.

I wish I could give my breath to the boys who

had their taken, but I’ve stopped counting

because it feels like there are too many boys

& not enough breath to go around (Lines 53-58).

This abrupt cut halfway through the sentence echoes the speaker’s empathy for the boys whose breaths were stolen prematurely. It also reflects his fear that the same fate will befall him.