Crossed Threads

Helen Hunt Jackson 1830 (Amherst, Massachusetts) – 1885 (San Francisco)



The silken threads by viewless spinners spun,
Which float so idly on the summer air,
And help to make each summer morning fair,
Shining like silver in the summer sun,
Are caught by wayward breezes, one by one,
Are blown to east and west and fastened there,
Weaving on all the roads their sudden snare.
No sign which road doth safest, freest run,
The wingèd insects know, that soar so gay
To meet their death upon each summer day.
How dare we any human deed arraign;
Attempt to recon any moment's cost;
Or any pathway trust as safe and plain
Because we see not where the threads have crossed?

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

33 sec read
113

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBAABBACCDEDF
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 600
Words 111
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

Helen Hunt Jackson

Helen Maria Hunt Jackson, born Helen Fiske, was an American poet and writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Native Americans by the United States government. more…

All Helen Hunt Jackson poems | Helen Hunt Jackson Books

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    "Crossed Threads" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/17057/crossed-threads>.

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