I Cannot Dance Upon My Toes
poem 326
I Cannot Dance Upon My Toes - meaning Summary
Private Theatrical Longing
Dickinson imagines herself as an untrained but spirited dancer, reveling privately in vivid fantasies of performance and acclaim. The poem contrasts her real anonymity and lack of training with extravagant mental enactments—pirouettes, prima roles, and encores—suggesting a playful, yearning interior life that compensates for social withdrawal. It presents imaginative fulfillment as a substitute for public recognition and the physical trappings of performance.
Read Complete AnalysesI cannot dance upon my Toes No Man instructed me But oftentimes, among my mind, A Glee possesseth me, That had I Ballet knowledge Would put itself abroad In Pirouette to blanch a Troupe Or lay a Prima, mad, And though I had no Gown of Gauze No Ringlet, to my Hair, Nor hopped to Audiences like Birds, One Claw upon the Air, Nor tossed my shape in Eider Balls, Nor rolled on wheels of snow Till I was out of sight, in sound, The House encore me so Nor any know I know the Art I mention easy Here Nor any Placard boast me It’s full as Opera
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