I asked no other thing,
No other was denied.
I offered Being for it;
The mighty merchant smiled.Brazil? He twirled a button,
~Emily Dickinson
Without a glance my way:
“But, madam, is there nothing else
That we can show to-day?”
One of the superpowers of poetry is its ability to remind us that we are not alone, that no matter how isolated we may feel, there are other human voice speaking to us from across continents, oceans, centuries.
This poem is no exception. Everyone has experienced this–the feeling that the one thing we want is the only thing we can’t have. Brazil? Sure! You can have an entire country! Just not this one thing you really, really want.
At least, in our wanting, we are not alone.
The Emily Project 