A Door Just Opened on a Street
A Door Just Opened on a Street - context Summary
Published in 1890
This short lyric was published in the 1890 Poems collection. It records a single, fleeting incident — a briefly open door offering warmth, company and wealth, immediately closed to leave the speaker twice "lost." The poem frames that small event as a sudden, illuminating contrast that deepens isolation. Placed in the 1890 volume, it aligns with Dickinson’s frequent focus on private moments, abrupt emotional shifts, and how tiny scenes can reveal larger feelings of exclusion or yearning.
Read Complete AnalysesA door just opened on a street– I, lost, was passing by– An instant’s width of warmth disclosed And wealth, and company. The door as sudden shut, and I, I, lost, was passing by,– Lost doubly, but by contrast most, Enlightening misery.
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