Have you ever created a rhyme in the time you've been here on earth? Do you dare to share it with us?

Hi there m'dear. Oh sweetie I apologize profusely. I don't really understand the poem. I can't pretend I do when I don't. It's my fault for sure. Could you help me out here please? Is it what you said initially...feeling connected to a clearly imperfect person? If so do we infer from that we are also clearly imperfect? AARRGGHH! Thank you for sharing it and I hope I didn't offend you. I'm sorry I didn't get it. Thank you for your reply DG and Happy Friday to thee! :) This post was edited by RosieG at November 2, 2018 6:10 AM MDT

Hehe, please don't worry, Rosie; there's been no offense whatsoever. I'll try expanding on it a bit, at the risk of explaining too much.

The speaker is also, definitely, imperfect. More so, perhaps: "And I'd be dumber" could be read as "I'd be dumber than a rat," or "I'd be dumber than the masses (that you shun)" or "I'd be even dumber than I am now" (maybe because I'm roaming the streets with no apparent goal, but then it turns out there was a purpose: coming across you).

I'm often of the mind that it is unwise, or at the very least bothersome, to form a part of the "masses." Hence the imagining of a cherished other as a solitary rat: it might be looked down on, living lowly, and yet the city hasn't usurped it the way it has those many others: the 'rat' is still moving around freely, and taking care of itself, and it has preserved its inclination towards independence. Therefore the poem uses the analogy lovingly; "you'd be one" might as well have gone on to say 'you'd be glowing like one of those streetlights (mentioned earlier)', but instead is wholly accepting, maybe admiring, of the possibly rat-like qualities. All of this is imaginary, to be sure, and "had we met" may suggest both hypothesis and wish (as in "if only we had met...").

The 'meter' or rhythm of a poem can also be significant. Here, the first two lines are so-called trochaic pentameters. This means that we have five stressed syllables per line, in a pattern of stressed syllable followed by unstressed syllable: Had we met by streetlight: you'd be one." But then there is a switch of focus (marked by the comma) and the trochees (stressed-unstressed) are replaced (and, I'd like to think, complemented) by iambs (unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable): "And I'd be dumber past you stutter last." And finally, when in the last line there is an "us," there are actually six stressed syllables rather than five: the meeting of rat and speaker (whatever this speaker be) has created an expansion.

Usually I feel like hearing something explained makes it much less interesting (or worse: deprives the reader of the joy of interpreting things for themselves), but I do hope that this makes some sense. Thank you, Rosie, and Happy Friday to thee too! This post was edited by Danilo_G at November 2, 2018 7:15 AM MDT

Goodness DG I'm in awe of your knowledge and your patience and how carefully and thoughtfully you explained it to me. I truly appreciate it and you for not thinking less of me because I guess it went over my head. Some things I get right away. Others take me awhile if someone guides me through and then there  are those things I can't comprehend no matter how much I want to do so. I'm going to read your kind explanation again DG.  Some things bear repeating and your reply is definitely one of those things! Thank  you again m'dear! :) ((hugs))