Get out the microscope, because we’re going through this poem line-by-line.
Lines 9-10
And so of larger – Darknesses –
Those Evenings of the Brain –
- Now we’re getting even more figurative.
- What’s “larger Darkness”? Could it mean something bigger and more overwhelming than the situations “We” faced earlier?
- Whatever it is, it’s definitely something that happens within us: this darkness happens in the “Evenings of the Brain.” It’s all inside our mind.
Lines 11-12
When not a Moon disclose a sign –
Or Star – come out – within –
- We are still inside our brains, and it’s dark in there.
- It’s so dark that not even the moon is visible.
- Or the stars. Geez, we could really use that flashlight about now.
- Notice the wordplay in line 12: the stars aren’t coming out in the sky, but rather “within.” We’re still inside our own minds; we’re within ourselves. She’s still using figurative language to talk about emotions.