Dusting

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1994

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Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Further Reading & Resources

Related Poems

“Drifter” by Marilyn Nelson (2001)

This poem is a part of Carver: A Life in Poems (2001), Nelson’s series of poems about the life of George Washington Carver, the African-American botanist and educator. This poem is an excellent example of Nelson’s concerns and interests regarding American history. Like the speaker in “Dusting,” the persona of Carver wonders about natural processes like the rain falling. These questions cause Carver to wonder about his place in the world of things in a similar way to the speaker of “Dusting.”

“Psalm” by Marilyn Nelson (1997)

“Psalm” is the poem that appears before “Dusting” when they were collected in Fields of Praise: New and Selected Poems (1997). In 2012, Garrison Keillor read it on The Writer’s Almanac for public radio. The poem works like a psalm, or sacred hymn, and like “Dusting,” offers gratitude. In this case, the speaker counts their blessings that they have not died while driving on crowded roads throughout the years. Driving is a daily action most take for granted. Psalm 23 is alluded to at the end. As in “Dusting,” awareness of God is connected to mundane activity.

“Matins (2:30 A.M)” by Marilyn Nelson (1994)

This poem appears right before “Dusting,” in Magnificat (1994). The poems detail gratitude and connection to God. This poem compares the suffering in the world to the speaker’s bout of indigestion. Like “Dusting,” it contrasts the vast with miniscule, touching on selfishness as the speaker concludes, “I must be the smallest grain / of the salt of the earth” (Lines 30-31) This is a bit of bleak humor, but this “grain / of salt” (Lines 30-31) segues into the “tiny / particles of ocean salt” (Lines 1-2) in “Dusting,” which appears next.

Further Literary Resources

An Interview with Marilyn Nelson by Jeanne Murray Walker (2018)

In this personal interview which took place in February 2018, Walker asks Nelson about her childhood, her schooling, her artistic craft, and her social concerns, particularly in terms of African-American history. Comments about meditation and religion relate directly to themes expressed in “Dusting.” She also gives her advice to young writers.

“Spotlight on NCTE Poets: Marilyn Nelson, with Lee Bennett Hopkins” by Renee M. Latulippe (2017)

This article written for No Water Review, a poetry magazine about children’s poetry, covers the breadth of Nelson’s work, and highlights her importance as an African-American poet of depth, “a vital ambassador of poetry.” Latulippe notes how Nelson can turn “rigorous research into poetry that is at once lyrical, touching, powerful, truthful, and tender.” Finally, the article provides Nelson’s own words. Her idea that “poetry offers the opportunity to see through someone else’s eyes. It can open us up to each other’s experience and it can certainly teach us empathy” correlates to the theme of interconnectedness expressed in “Dusting.”

Review of Magnificat by Publishers Weekly (1994)

While this reviewer does not mention “Dusting” directly, they do indicate some of the overall concepts that may surround the conception of the poem. There is a brief discussion of Nelson’s friend who became a Benedictine monk as well as speculation that Nelson’s attachment to him helped to ground the religious content within the collection. The reviewer suggests Nelson’s own spiritual journey is evident in the thematic arc of the poems. This is especially true, they concur, in how she realizes that “blessedness is found in ordinary things.” This theme is clear in “Dusting.”

Marilyn Nelson’s Official Website (2022)

Nelson’s website features a short biography, quotes from others about her work, links to articles and where to buy her work. The poem “Drifter,” along with other poems about George Washington Carver can be found there as well.

Listen to Poem

Listen to a reading of “Dusting” by Marilyn Nelson

In this recording of “Gather in Poems,” poet Ladan Osman reads Nelson’s “Dusting” at a virtual reading presented by the Academy of American Poets. This reading was presented on November 24, 2020, during the pandemic, to “reflec[t] on how sharing poems can create a sense of community, especially at a time when so many must be apart.”