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There is a pain—so utter—
It swallows substance up—
Then covers the Abyss with Trance—
So memory can step

Around—across—upon it—
As one with a Swoon—
Goes safely—where an open eye—
Would drop Him—Bone by Bone.

Emily Dickinson
The Essential Dickinson
Selected and with an introduction by Joyce Carol Oates.
The Ecco Press

Introduction and selection copyright © 1996 by Joyce Carol Oates.
All rights reserved.
Reproduced by Poetry Daily with permission of The Ecco Press.