'The Colossus' - R. Abbott

Written in 1959, 'The Colossus' consists of six five-lined stanzas. The poemk begins with what seems to be the discription of someone who has lectured the speaker his/her whole life but has really made no sense. The second stanza reinforces this notion when the speaker says he/she is "none the wiser" after listen to this person for 30 years (10). In the third stanza the speaker goes on to describe the person of which he/she speaks as very old, whom is later revealed as the speakers father. The second to last stanza opens up to the reader that she really dislikes who her father is saying, "it would take more than a lightning stroke/to create such a ruin" (22-23). The speaker concludes the poem with what appears to be a description of the death of his/her father, but the speaker seems indifferent or even satisfied with his passing. Throughout the poem, there is no set ryhming scheme.