I know some lonely Houses off the Road

Emily Dickinson 1830 (Amherst) – 1886 (Amherst)



I know some lonely Houses off the Road
A Robber'd like the look of—
Wooden barred,
And Windows hanging low,
Inviting to—
A Portico,
Where two could creep—
One—hand the Tools—
The other peep—
To make sure All's Asleep—
Old fashioned eyes—
Not easy to surprise!

How orderly the Kitchen'd look, by night,
With just a Clock—
But they could gag the Tick—
And Mice won't bark—
And so the Walls—don't tell—
None—will—

A pair of Spectacles ajar just stir—
An Almanac's aware—
Was it the Mat—winked,
Or a Nervous Star?
The Moon—slides down the stair,
To see who's there!

There's plunder—where—
Tankard, or Spoon—
Earring—or Stone—
A Watch—Some Ancient Brooch
To match the Grandmama—
Staid sleeping—there—

Day—ratt les—too
Stealth's—slow—
T he Sun has got as far
As the third Sycamore—
Screams Chanticleer
"Who's there"?

And Echoes—Trains away,
Sneer—"Where"!
While the old Couple, just astir,
Fancy the Sunrise—left the door ajar!   

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 29, 2023

49 sec read
161

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXABACXCCDD XXXXXX EFXGFF FXXXXF BAGXEF XFEG
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 964
Words 153
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 12, 6, 6, 6, 6, 4

Emily Dickinson

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. more…

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    Which poet is associated with the poem "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"?
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