Dusting

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1994

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form and Meter

“Dusting” has twenty-one lines, divided into three stanzas. The number of lines in each stanza are in descending order of 8, 7, and 6. There is no end rhyme, although there are some internal close rhymes like “infinite” (Line 5) and “intricate” (Line 6) as well as “infernal” (Line 19) and “eternal” (Line 20). These, however, do not hold to metered form, but provide musicality to the poem instead. The poem is closely aligned with the Judeo-Christian traditional hymn, which is a song or poem of prayer or adoration, typically addressed to a deity or deities. Nelson’s “thank you” (Lines 1, 21) is so directed. The purpose of the hymn is generally to offer such praise and gratitude. Although hymns are typically metrical, with an even length of line and a specific beat, this is a convention Nelson breaks. She keeps, however, that tradition of simplicity, the expression of genuine emotion, and the ideas of unification. Hymns are traditionally sung by the entire congregation in a church service. This heightens the speaker’s view that the world is interconnected by its reliance on what “dust” (Lines 18, 21) can do, which includes aiding photosynthesis and precipitation.

Adjectives

In her arrangement of adjectives, particularly in the first stanza, Nelson enhances the message from the speaker that the world’s smallest things are as important as the largest. To do this she deliberately places words that suggest vastness next to words that suggest something much more minute. This enhances the theme of showing that small things can affect the world. The first time this occurs is with the phrase “ocean salt” (Line 2), in which the word “ocean” (Line 2), suggesting the largest bodies of water in the world is contrasted with the “tiny / particles” (Lines 1-2) of “salt” (Line 2) within its waves. This technique is also used in describing the “infinite, / intricate shapes” (Lines 5-6) of “submicroscopic / living things” (Lines 7-8). The composition of unseen entities are both “infinite” (Line 5), as in limitless, but also highly detailed. They are beyond the lens of a microscope—invisible but clearly “living” (Line 8). Further, by dusting, the speaker manages to send “eternal seeds” (Line 20) into space, which helps the natural phenomenon of “rain” (Line 20) since water droplets must form around a particle to bond together. In this way, the speaker stresses that one small individual nourishes the planet. This idea is enhanced by Nelson’s placement of adjectives.

Imagery of Motion

For many, domestic chores are often tedious and “endless” (Line 19), which can make the task seem genuinely hellish. The notion of feeling trapped centers on a feeling of static energy, of being caught in place. One of the strategies Nelson employs to show the benefit of dusting is to use direct and implied kinetic imagery, or descriptions of physical movement. Initially this is only implied in the description of “winged protozoans” (Line 4) which suggests that these “submicroscopic / living things” (Lines 7-8) have the capability to take flight while not showing that they actually do fly. However, as the poem progresses the language of motion increases. The “algae spores / and fungus spores” (Lines 9-10) actively “[bond]” (Line 11) and “[spread]” (Line 13) across the globe, moving “from equator to pole” (Line 15). This circular motion of surrounding the world is echoed in the speaker’s own movement of dusting in “sweeping circles” (Line 17). The “dust climbs” (Line 18) the sunbeam. All this motion enhances the theme of replenishment and rebirth, which culminates in the implied idea that it will “rain” (Line 20). The “dust” (Line 21) which has ascended and helped form water droplets will return to earth, and the cycle will start over again in an “infinite” (Line 5) loop. Without the language of motion, this idea would not have been as effective.