That After Horror That ‘Twas Us
poem 286
That After Horror That ‘Twas Us - meaning Summary
Near Miss with Death
Dickinson contemplates a narrow escape from death and its lingering shock. The speaker imagines nearly falling beyond reach, then describes how memory numbs at the thought of having been so close. She contrasts a sudden, impersonal entrance into conjecture with death’s cold familiarity, personified as a metallic, smiling presence that welcomes intrusively. The poem meditates on survival, the fragility of life, and how close experience reshapes remembrance.
Read Complete AnalysesThat after Horror that ’twas us That passed the mouldering Pier Just as the Granite Crumb let go Our Savior, by a Hair A second more, had dropped too deep For Fisherman to plumb The very profile of the Thought Puts Recollection numb The possibility to pass Without a Moment’s Bell Into Conjecture’s presence Is like a Face of Steel That suddenly looks into ours With a metallic grin The Cordiality of Death Who drills his Welcome in
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