Poem-A-Day/ April 23
Sorry to miss yesterday! Here (was) Thursday's poem--another important "door" poem:
(Johnson 475)
Doom is the House without the Door —
'Tis entered from the Sun —
And then the Ladder's thrown away,
Because Escape — is done —
'Tis varied by the Dream
Of what they do outside —
Where Squirrels play — and Berries die —
And Hemlocks — bow — to God —
Think about doors, escapes, "doom" (as opposed to, or in addition to, "despair"); this poem and "The Soul has bandaged moments" are in rich dialogue.
One ambiguity: does "without" mean "lacking" (opposite of "with") or "outside" (opposite of "within")?
***
Sorry to miss yesterday! Here (was) Thursday's poem--another important "door" poem:
(Johnson 475)
Doom is the House without the Door —
'Tis entered from the Sun —
And then the Ladder's thrown away,
Because Escape — is done —
'Tis varied by the Dream
Of what they do outside —
Where Squirrels play — and Berries die —
And Hemlocks — bow — to God —
Think about doors, escapes, "doom" (as opposed to, or in addition to, "despair"); this poem and "The Soul has bandaged moments" are in rich dialogue.
One ambiguity: does "without" mean "lacking" (opposite of "with") or "outside" (opposite of "within")?
***
I read 'without' like 'lacking'. Theres an extremely eerie and panicky sense of confinement through out this poem. I also get a sense of exclusion and isolation from all of the natural world with no path back to it.
ReplyDelete