Mine Enemy Is Growing Old

Mine Enemy Is Growing Old - meaning Summary

Revenge by Neglect

Dickinson presents a compact meditation on revenge and the life-cycle of hate. The speaker finds that an enemy’s aging brings its own retribution, while the appetite for vengeance fades. Using the image of a meal, the poem argues that anger dies when fed and grows when starved: tending to wrath consumes it, whereas neglect lets it fester. The closing paradox advises against nourishing grievance if one seeks peace.