Otherwise

“Otherwise” is a twenty-six line poem in two stanzas of free verse. The line lengths vary and do not employ any kind of rhyme. There is a sense of form however, with the repeated refrain of “it might have been / otherwise” (Lines 3-4) occurring after each description of a daily event. This repetition causes the daily events themselves to be highlighted with each use of the refrain. The reader pays greater attention to these images of resting, eating, and walking knowing that it could be “otherwise” (Lines 4, 8, 15, 19, 26).

The poem’s structural unity relies on its division into two stanzas, with the break occurring after Line 12. The first stanza concentrates on action and makes the speaker seem physically strong and determined. The speaker rises out of bed, eats breakfast, walks the dog “uphill” (Line 10), and works. The speaker’s recurring fear that this routine will change dampens the energetic tone of the first stanza. In contrast, the second stanza occurs in the afternoon, and here the speaker seems to have lost energy. They “lay down” (Line 13) at “noon” (Line 13), which marks a contrast to their energy in the beginning of the poem.