Dust of Snow

The poem’s shape is small, replicating the image of the crow pushing the snow off the hemlock tree and onto the speaker. The image functions as a snapshot, and the poem looks like a snapshot in size.

The neat and miniature form reflects the poem’s deliberate order and the laconic speaker. The two four-line stanzas (quatrains) divide the poem’s two parts. Stanza 1 provides an image of the speaker in nature, and Stanza 2 gives a glimpse of the speaker’s feelings. The tiny size prevents the speaker from sharing further. Then again, maybe the speaker doesn’t want to say more about their state, or if the audience is a friend who already knows, nothing more needs saying.

Lines 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 feature iambic dimeter—that is, there are two pairs of unstressed-stressed syllables. In Line 1, don’t stress “[t]he” and “a,” but stress “way” and “crow.” In Line 2, don’t stress “[sh]ook” and “on” but stress “down” and “me.” The meter creates a heartbeat-like rhythm, bringing feeling to the poem. The lines with an extra syllable reinforce the motif of

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