Emily Dickinson · USA · 1945
When Memory is full Put on the perfect Lid -- This Morning's finest syllable Presumptuous Evening said --
Emily Dickinson · USA · 1945
When Memory is full Put on the perfect Lid -- This Morning's finest syllable Presumptuous Evening said --
“When Memory is full…”
This brief, haunting poem captures the paradox of memory and time in Dickinson's characteristically compressed language. The speaker suggests that when our minds become saturated with remembrance, we must somehow seal off or contain these accumulated experiences—as if memory were a vessel that could overflow. The poem treats abstract concepts like memory and time as tangible things that can be managed, managed, or controlled, reflecting Dickinson's gift for making the invisible concrete.
Why this poem matters
Emily Dickinson wrote this poem in the 1860s, during a period of intense creative output, though it was not published until 1945, long after her death. Her compressed style and use of capitalization and dashes create a sense of intellectual precision while exploring universal human concerns about mortality, consciousness, and time.