Vox Populi
A curated webspace for Poetry, Politics, and Nature with over 20,000 daily subscribers and over 8,000 archived posts.
Emily Dickinson: A Bird, came down the Walk
A Bird, came down the Walk –
He did not know I saw –
He bit an Angle Worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw,
And then, he drank a Dew
From a convenient Grass –
And then hopped sidewise to the Wall
To let a Beetle pass –
He glanced with rapid eyes,
That hurried all abroad –
They looked like frightened Beads, I thought,
He stirred his Velvet Head. –
Like one in danger, Cautious,
I offered him a Crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers,
And rowed him softer Home –
Than Oars divide the Ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon,
Leap, plashless as they swim.
—–
Public Domain
Discover more from Vox Populi
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
So much wit and wonder. I always love this poem!
By ‘Noon’ ED often meant infinity — the double o’s like a sideways figure 8, i.e., the symbol for Infinity, which she famously referred to has her “Flood subject,”
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t know about the double o conceit. Thanks, Terry!
LikeLiked by 1 person
He bit an Angle Worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw,
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a wonderful way to start the day wit Dickinson’s audacious rhymes. Love it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love Dickinson
LikeLiked by 2 people