I felt a Funeral, in my Brain

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain is a poem written by Emily Dickinson. It is thought that Dickinson is comparing her mental health to a funeral procession treading across her mind, which she symbolizes as a wooden floor. The poem illustrates the feelings of hopelessness sometimes experienced when battling psychological issues.

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,
And Mourners to and fro
Kept treading—treading—till it seemed
That Sense was breaking through –

And when they all were seated,
A Service, like a Drum –
Kept beating—beating—till I thought
My mind was going numb –

And then I heard them lift a Box
And creak across my Soul
With those same Boots of Lead, again,
Then Space—began to toll,

As all the Heavens were a Bell,
And Being, but an Ear,
And I, and Silence, some strange Race,
Wrecked, solitary, here –

And then a Plank in Reason, broke,
And I dropped down, and down –
And hit a World, at every plunge,
And Finished knowingthen –

Image Credit
Feature: jacobchapman at DeviantArt

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