[952]
A Man may make a Remark —
In itself — a quiet thing
That may furnish the Fuse unto a Spark
In dormant nature — lain —
Let us divide — with skill —
Let us discourse —with care —
Powder exists in Charcoal —
Before it exists in Fire —
■
A Man may make a Remark —
In itself — a quiet thing
That may furnish the Fuse unto a Spark
In dormant nature — lain —
Let us divide — with skill —
Let us discourse —with care —
Powder exists in Charcoal —
Before it exists in Fire —
■
Hello Friends,
Do you recognize this poet? Interesting internal capitalization, lots of dashes, doesn’t use titles (so publishers substitute a number and/or first line)…
Early editions of Emily Dickinson’s poetry, all published after her lifetime, did not reflect her unique use of capitalization and punctuation — in particular the long dash. But we now consider these key characteristics of Dickinsonian (yes, she gets her own adjective… not to be confused with Dickensian) poetics.
Did any one read Power in Powder? What other spark, fire, or charcoal poems does this remind you of? Any favorites? I feel like a lot of writers have written their own version of this particular poem, across centuries, across cultures — humans seem to return again and again to an association between fire and the divine, the soul, and/or the gift of thinking and language.
Emily Dickinson has been featured many times before for poem-a-day, including Poem-A-Day April 13, 2014, Poem-A-Day April 25, 2010, Poem-A-Day April 25, 2009, and Poem-A-Day April 29, 2008. I am a little bit fascinated with her. Two of my favorite poetry books (of any kind — but these both happen to be about Emily Dickinson) are The Gorgeous Nothings and Open Me Carefully, if you want to learn more about this poet than what you may have been taught in grade school.
Love,
Ellen