When Memory Is Full

When Memory Is Full - meaning Summary

Sealing Overflowing Memory

Dickinson’s short lyric treats memory as a container that can become overfull and requires a careful closure. The image of a "perfect Lid" suggests deliberate selection or suppression to keep recollection intact or to prevent its spillover. The poem contrasts daytime freshness and evening presumption, implying a tension between immediate perception and retrospective interpretation. Its compact language presents memory management as an act of maintenance: choosing what to preserve and what to cap, so that the present moment is not overwhelmed by accumulated pasts.