Presentiment Is That Long Shadow on the Lawn

Presentiment Is That Long Shadow on the Lawn - meaning Summary

Foreboding as Everyday Sign

Dickinson’s short poem presents presentiment as a simple, natural signal: the long shadow on the lawn that shows the sun is setting. The image turns ordinary evening light into a notice to the “startled grass,” suggesting an anticipatory sense that darkness is near. It frames foreboding as a routine, almost ecological perception rather than dramatic revelation, compressing mood and meaning into a domestic, observable moment.