My life closed twice before its close - Emily Dickinson
When Loss Strikes Twice, Another Looms Beyond
My life closed twice before its close—
It yet remains to see
If Immortality unveil
A third event to me
So huge, so hopeless to conceive
As these that twice befell.
Parting is all we know of heaven,
And all we need of hell.
Emily Dickinson’s poem “My life closed twice before its close” captures the speaker’s profound sense of loss, alongside an underlying anticipation of further heartbreak. In just eight lines, Dickinson reflects on two major life-altering events—metaphorically described as her life ‘closing’—and wonders if a third such calamity might yet arrive.
The opening lines draw the reader into a personal chronicle of sorrow. By describing her life as having ‘closed’ twice, the poet suggests an experience so painful that it felt like a definitive end—akin to a symbolic death. Yet she acknowledges the possibility of “Immortality” unveiling another life-changing incident, leaving the question of future suffering open. This reveals Dickinson’s preoccupation with the uncertainty of human existence, where heartache can strike unexpectedly.
Central to the poem is the concept of ‘Parting,’ which Dickinson likens to both heaven and hell. On one level, parting can evoke a heaven-like reverence because it underscores the deep emotional bonds we share with others—connections so profound that losing them feels spiritually immense. On another level, the same experience can be torturous, akin to hell, because of the emotional anguish it leaves behind. In this duality, Dickinson illustrates how a single event can encompass both the sacred and the damned.
While the poem is succinct, it touches on larger themes of mortality and the afterlife. The phrase “If Immortality unveil” suggests Dickinson’s curiosity about what lies beyond earthly life. Her closing lines—“Parting is all we know of heaven, / And all we need of hell”—highlight the reality that loss itself can feel transcendent, testing the boundaries of our emotional capacity.
Ultimately, “My life closed twice before its close” underscores the fragility of human experience, where finality comes not only in physical death but in each profound separation that feels like life momentarily ending. Dickinson’s blending of personal vulnerability and philosophical depth creates a lingering meditation on the powerful hold that love and parting have over our lives.
Key points
• Profound losses can feel like symbolic ‘endings’ of life.
• The poem contemplates the possibility of more heartbreak yet to come.
• Parting is portrayed as both sacred and torturous.
• Dickinson highlights how emotional pain can reshape our sense of mortality.