Miscarriage of an English Teacher
I
first person
would
conditional clause
would have
past perfect
would have had
past participle
you
second person
today, little one,
begun this New Year
with you moist in my arms,
the rise, swell, and down
of you captivating
your daddy and me until
we
embryonic breakdown personal pronoun
would
unknown cause conditional clause
would have
spontaneous termination past perfect tense
would have breathed
postpartum past participle
as deeply as
pacifier modifier
we
personal pronoun
would
conditional clause
would have
past perfect
would have watched
past participle
you do —
beside ourselves
with sighs of
elation,
exhaustion,
euphoria,
everything
but this emptiness.
That
demonstrative, demonstrative, demonstrative pronoun
is
present tension
all
indefinite prognosis indefinite pronoun
that remains now,
the New Year
capital, proper
already old,
yet one I know
will go
future chances future tense
will be going
progressive future, imperative
must go
auxiliary help helping verb
on