Lyric Poem · Peace
Why—do they shut Me out of Heaven?
Why — do they shut Me out of Heaven?
Did I sing — too loud?
But — I can say a little "Minor"
Timid as a Bird!
Wouldn't the Angels try me —
Just — once — more —
Just — see — if I troubled them —
But don't — shut the door!
Oh, if I — were the Gentleman
In the "White Robe" —
And they — were the little Hand — that knocked —
Could — I — forbid?
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“Why—do they shut Me out of Heaven?” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/why-do-they-shut-me-out-of-heaven
Quick facts
- Poem
- Why—do they shut Me out of Heaven?
- Poet
- Emily Dickinson
- Length
- 12 lines
- Form
- Lyric Poem
- Themes
- Peace, Nature
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
- 12 lines · 3 quatrains
- End rhyme
- No regular perfect end rhyme. The poem may still be using slant rhyme, assonance, or internal echo, which this check does not score.
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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
- PoetryDBWhy—do they shut Me out of Heaven? 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 5098bdb7202fb43f…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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