Teeth and Claws
a tribute to Emily Dickinson
Published in
May 7, 2021
Hope, a thing with teeth and claws
That fastens on the mind,
Regurgitating metaphors
To strike misgivings blind,
In doubtful chasms hear its roar;
Foundations shook by will
To see, to hold, for love, for cure-
To mend the weak and ill,
I see it in the hospice beds,
I smell it on their breath,
When life is stretched to barest threads,
We hope, for more than death.
