He put the Belt around my life

He put the Belt around my life

Emily Dickinson

He put the Belt around my life
I heard the Buckle snap --
And turned away, imperial,
My Lifetime folding up --
Deliberate, as a Duke would do
A Kingdom's Title Deed --
Henceforth, a Dedicated sort --
A Member of the Cloud.
Yet not too far to come at call --
And do the little Toils
That make the Circuit of the Rest --
And deal occasional smiles
To lives that stoop to notice mine --
And kindly ask it in --
Whose invitation, know you not
For Whom I must decline?

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Public domain text via the PoetryDB open archive.

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