Lyric Poem · Life

How much the present moment means

by Emily Dickinson

To those who've nothing more —

The Fop — the Carp — the Atheist —

Stake an entire store

Upon a Moment's shallow Rim

While their commuted Feet

The Torrents of Eternity

Do all but inundate —

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“How much the present moment means” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/how-much-the-present-moment-means

Quick facts

Poem: How much the present moment means
Poet: Emily Dickinson
Length: 8 lines
Form: Lyric Poem, Short Poems
Themes: Life, Short

Craft notes

How this poem works

Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape: 8 lines · one 8-line stanza
Line length: Lines run 5-8 syllables (median 8), consistent with tetrameter. No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.

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Text, source & rights

A traceable edition

Full-text display is based on the committed source record and a United States term-expiry review.

Author record: Emily Dickinson1830–1886
Source record: PoetryDBHow much the present moment means by emily-dickinson, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 ad4d183f781c0c16…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Short Poems Life Short

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