That After Horror That ‘Twas Us
poem 286
That 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
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.
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