This was a Poet - It is That

This was a Poet-It is That
Distills amazing sense
From ordinary Meanings-
And Attar so immense

From the familiar species
That perished by the Door-
We wonder it was not Ourselves
Arrested it-before-

Of Pictures, the Discloser-
The Poet-it is He-
Entitles Us-by Contrast-
To ceaseless Poverty-

Of Portion-so unconscious-
The Robbing-could not harm-
Himself-to Him-a Fortune-
Exterior-to Time-


The tone created in "This was a Poet- It is That" honors poets and leaves the reader with a respect for them. Emily Dickinson points out the fact that poems result from a poet's distillation of natural, ordinary meanings to novel and ingenious sense. A poet's work leaves beauty to be appreciated from what may have previously been overlooked. The second stanza reveals the speaker to be a reader of poetry who, like so many other readers, is often fascinated by a poet's simple yet brilliant interpretation of a familiar subject. Emily Dickinson's  notion that a poet is comparable to a thief is yet another display of admiration of poetry. She suggests that because a poet's original ideas can never be someone else's, the readers have no choice but to appreciate the thought as fully as they can. Therefore, the poet has stolen and, in a sense, monopolized the idea. I concur with Dickinson's label on poetry as "amazing" and believe that this poem very accurately delineates the relationship between poet and reader. Many times I have found myself so astounded by someone else's realization that seemed so obvious, yet I was not the first to think of it.

I dwell in Possibility

I dwell in Possibility-
A fairer House than Prose-
More numerous of Windows-
Superior-for Doors-

Of Chambers as the Cedars-
Impregnable of Eye-
And for an Everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky-

Of Visitors-the fairest-
For Occupation-This-
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise-


In "I dwell in Possibility," Emily Dickinson provides the reader a chance to understand her affinity for poetry versus commonplace writing. She exalts poetry through an extended metaphor which compares poetry to a house. Particularly, Dickinson suggests that poetry is, "A fairer House than Prose," with more windows and doors as well as a sturdier build, which welcomes the fairest guests. The first line ("I dwell in Possibility-") leads the reader to believe that Dickinson feels so attached to the clever possibilities of poetry that she lives through them. In the last three lines, Dickinson references the job of a poem. The poet employs a poem to maintain the efficiently juxtaposed diction that captures the pure essence of the subject at hand. I agree with the author in that poetry is an ultimate form of expression. I too believe that ordinary vernacular stands no chance to be more appreciated than an eloquent and effective poem.

I reckon - when I count at all

I reckon-when I count at all-
First-Poets-Then the Sun-
Then Summer-Then the Heaven of God-
And then-the List is done-

But, looking back-the First so seems
To Comprehend the Whole-
The Others look a needless Show-
So I write-Poets-All-

Their Summer-lasts a Solid Year-
They can afford a Sun
The East-would deem extravagant-
And if the Further Heaven-

Be Beautiful as they prepare
For Those who worship Them-
It is too difficult a Grace-
To justify the Dream-



Emily Dickinson expresses her passion for poetry in "I reckon-when I count at all" through her comparison of poets to the sun, summer, and Heaven. The speaker deems poets sovereign to each of the aforementioned comparisons, and justifies this claim in the lines,
           "But, looking back-the First so seems
            To Comprehend the Whole-
            The Others look a needless Show-
            So I write - Poets - All."
In the next stanza, Dickinson points out a poet's ability to immortalize and glorify the summer, the sun's extravagance, or Heaven through the juxtaposition of words. This ability is what allows poets to surpass the importance of these other beauties. Dickinson's diction includes words such as "extravagant," "beautiful," and "grace," that emphasize her veneration of poetry. As a reader, I am interested by Emily Dickinson's fascination with her work. Because of the seemingly insurmountable love of poetry Dickinson communicates, I wonder, "What exactly is it that I am or can be so passionate about?"