My Life Closed Twice Before Its Close
My life closed twice before its close--
A paradox is a statement which contains apparently opposing or incongrous
elements which, when read together, turn out to make sense. The first line
is paradoxical in that there are separate meanings for the words "closed"
and "close" -- Dickinson tells of having suffered 2 great losses, so
monumental as to be comparable to death. She wonders if another such
devastating event awaits her in the future.
There’s been a Death, in the Opposite House,
Such Houses have—alway --
The Neighbors rustle in and out --
The Doctor—drives away --
Somebody flings a Mattress out --
They wonder if it died—on that --
The Minister—goes stiffly in --
And he owned all the Mourners—now --
And little Boys—besides --
And then the Milliner—and the Man
To take the measure of the House
There’ll be that Dark Parade --
Of Tassels—and of Coaches—soon --
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dawdle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last month’s newspapers.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
It would be extreme understatement to say that death has long been a topic
in literature; the topic has been central to human thought since the
beginning of human thought, and is no stranger to the pages of literature,
both classic and modern. However, in twentieth century America, death has
been sanitized...