Is It True, Dear Sue?

Is It True, Dear Sue? - context Summary

Addressed to Susan Gilbert

This short, playful poem is addressed and dedicated to Susan Gilbert Dickinson and likely arises from Dickinson’s private relationship with her. It frames a comic, intimate anxiety about a shared male figure—worrying that his movement will prevent the speaker from joining—while imagining ways to confine or secure him so she can come. The poem’s tone and dedication place it within Dickinson’s personal correspondence and affectionate, teasing exchanges with Susan.