Prodigal
I search for Happiness
But he's nowhere to be
Found
I sense him, smell him,
Search for him like a
Hound
But after a while,
I see the pigs and call it
Quits
And hungry, I travel back
Home, for I have no
Wits
And once more I am kissed
Sadness at my doorstep, with
Rings
As I'm dressed up with the
Finest clothes, and the fattest cattle, it
Stings
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▾ This Poem's Voice
Your Poem's Voice
Personal pursuit framed as universal allegory about happiness and contentment
Multiple ideas compressed densely: pursuit, failure, resignation, ironic reversal
Predominantly melancholic; resignation and sadness dominate despite material wealth
Active searching and movement, but undercut by weariness and surrender
Approximately 14 lines; falls within 7-15 range
Simile (hound), personification (Happiness as person, Sadness), metaphorical pursuit
Pure lyric introspection; first-person internal voice throughout
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