15 September 2005 | Vol. 5, No. 3
We play at Paste—
We play at Paste—
Till qualified, for Pearl—
Then, drop the Paste—
And deem ourself a fool—
The Shapes—though—were similar—
And our new Hands
Learned Gem-Tactics—
Practicing Sands—
About the author:
1830-86. Dickinson lived her life in Amherst, Massachusetts, becoming, as she's famously known now, progressively reclusive. After her death, her sister discovered over 1000 poems in her bureau.
In 1862, Thomas Higginson, a well-known literary critic, published "Letter to a Young Contributor" in the Atlantic Monthly. Dickinson wrote to Higginson, asking if her "Verse is alive." She included four poems: "Safe in their Alabaster Chambers," "The nearest Dream recedes unrealized," "We play at Paste," and "I'll tell you how the Sun rose."
Learn more about Emily Dickinson at Wikipedia.
For further reading:
See the complete list of work by Emily Dickinson at 42opus. Browse the contents of 42opus Vol. 5, No. 3, where "We play at Paste—" ran on September 15, 2005. List other work with these same labels: poetry, classic.
