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The moon in the bureau mirror
looks out a million miles
(and perhaps with pride, at herself,
but she never, never smiles)
far and away beyond sleep, or
perhaps she's a daytime sleeper.
By the Universe deserted,
she'd tell it to go to hell,
and she'd find a body of water,
or a mirror, on which to dwell.
So wrap up care in a cobweb
and drop it down the well
into that world inverted
where left is always right,
where the shadows are really the body,
where we stay awake all night,
where the heavens are shallow as the sea
is now deep, and you love me.
Elizabeth Bishop
Read poems about / on: mirror, pride, moon, water, sleep, sea, world, night, love, heaven, smile
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User Rating: |
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9.3
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(23 votes) |
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Click here to write your comments about this poem (Insomnia by Elizabeth Bishop)
Mary Ann Leone (8/9/2006 12:05:00 PM)
The language is fresh and unique, a hallmark of Bishop's incomparable work. She can turn a mundane topic (as in Shampoo, another favorite of mine) into something unforgettable. I am completely awed by her talent and how she weaves emotion into her world; in this case, a fantastic one where the moon (synonymous with the speaker) resides in a bedroom mirror. It is only at the end we understand the depth of feeling behind her mystical images. A true genius, and I wish she were alive so I could write and tell her what her poetry means to me. |
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Elizabeth Bishop
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