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Astonishing drafts from poetry's most famous recluse

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Tag: Life

XX. I Have No Life But This
Love

XX. I Have No Life But This

August 27, 2017 benwdaltonAsideLeave a comment

XX.

I have no life but this,
To lead it here;
Behind this door, pressing up
To listen with my ear.

Nor urgent chores,
Nor appointments new,
Except to this extent:
(Whispering to you.)

 

—

Dickinson’s final, slightly more romantic version.

XXI. He Ate and Drank the Precious Words
Life

XXI. He Ate and Drank the Precious Words

August 2, 2017July 30, 2017 benwdaltonAsideLeave a comment

XXI.

He ate and drank the precious words,
His spirit grew robust;
He knew no more that he was poor,
Only that his frame was rust.
He was a car.
A dead car.

XIV. Some Things That Fly There Be
Life

XIV. Some Things That Fly There Be

May 1, 2017 benwdaltonAsideLeave a comment

XIV.

Some things that fly there be,—
Birds, hours, the bumble-bee:
Bats, flies, gnats, paper aeroplanes, fleas.

Some things that stay there be,—
Grief, hills, eternity:
Rocks, pennies on the ground, corpses and houses, usually.

There are, that resting, rise.
The sky:
I mean the clouds. Meant to say the clouds.

 

—

The original. Image credit cited here.

XII. I Cannot Live With You
Love

XII. I Cannot Live With You

April 29, 2017 benwdaltonLeave a comment

It takes me longer than you are tall to explain…

IV. ‘Tis So Much Joy!
Life

IV. ‘Tis So Much Joy!

February 16, 2017February 15, 2017 benwdaltonLeave a comment

Care to join?

I. Adventure Most Unto Itself
The Single Hound

I. Adventure Most Unto Itself

February 11, 2017 benwdaltonAsideLeave a comment

I.

Adventure most unto itself
The soul condemned to be;
Attended by a Single Hound—
Carlo, my doggy.

 

—

Original as published in an early addition, but actually part of a longer poem.

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