Hope is the thing with feathers...

I chose to include this Emily Dickinson poem because it really spoke to me, and I hope it will speak to you too. In this life, it’s so easy to feel hopeless. But if we don’t have hope and faith, what do we have? We need to be reminded that there is always hope. I decided to explain the metaphors and symbolism of this poem for you, hoping that it would be inspiring to you.

The speaker describes hope as being like a bird that “perches in the soul” as if it is always with you, which immediately provides an image of hope being attached within oneself. The bird “sings the tune—without the words, and never stops at all” suggesting that hope doesn’t dwell in words, but it’s more of an expectation or a feeling, and it never ceases. The birds song is described as being heard “sweetest in the gale”, meaning that when times are toughest, that’s when hope is at its sweetest; it’s most appreciated. The speaker goes on to define hope as being persistent by saying “sore must be the storm” that deters the bird.

The words chosen are impactful, like in the lines “Yet, never, in extremity, it asked a crumb of me.” Extremity is considered the limit of a situation, and crumb is being referred to as a small payment, which stresses the reality of how little the bird asks of the speaker, even when it is working it’s hardest. The words that really get me are “I’ve heard it in the chillest land and on the strangest sea”. Even in that cold, bleak environment, the bird followed her there and was still singing.

This brings me to a piece of scripture that I’m reminded of whenever I read this poem. Psalm 71:14 says that “I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.” (KJV) Through the hard times, we always have a reason to hope. Like we’re reminded in the song “Praise You in This Storm” by Casting Crowns, God is still God and He loves us more dearly than we can imagine.

Dear mother, I know how often you are pushed to your limits and struck with worry. I know it often feels like we are stranded somewhere on the strangest sea there is, waiting for a line. I just want you to remember that there is always hope; in fact we are called to hope and continue to praise. Don’t forget that through every trial and storm, the little bird is clinging to your shoulder, still singing its tune. I hope that this poem reminds you of the beauty and persistence of hope.