Pain--has an Element of Blank

Pain--has an Element of Blank--
It cannot recollect
When it begun--or if there were
A time when it was not--

It has no Future--but itself--
Its Infinite contain
Its Past--enlightened to perceive
New Periods--of Pain.

            Dickinson relies heavily on imagery to convey that pain has no beginning or end.  The lines “It has no Future—but itself—Its Infinite contain” describe how pain has nothing to do with anything but itself; therefore, it has nothing to stop it from being.  Furthermore, “Its Past—enlightened to perceive New Periods—of Pain” displays the idea that the pain in one’s past foreshadows the pain that has yet to be experienced.  The lines “It cannot recollect when it begun—or if there were a time when it was not” conveys that pain and life juxtapose one another; to have life without it is impossible.

            The central purpose of this poem is to discuss the cyclical nature of pain and support the idea that pain has nothing to stop it or even slow it down; it is something that is and will always be in existence.

            This poem made me realize that pain truly is something that I, and everyone else, must live with forever.  “Pain—has an Element of Blank” is a logistical outlook of pain’s existence in the world.