We never know how high we are

Thomas Higginson called Dickinson’s verse “spasmodic;” “We never know how high we are” represents her eccentric form. The poem shares some of the features of blank verse because it’s written in a stable meter. Lines 1, 3, 5, and 7 contain eight syllables, while Lines 2, 4, 6, and 8 have six syllables. Typically, the meter of blank verse is iambic pentameter: it has ten syllables, and it lacks rhyme. Dickinson’s poem rhymes: Line 2 rhymes with Line 4, and Line 6 rhymes with Line 8.

The singular form reflects Dickinson’s uniqueness and determination to create her own conventions and rules. She has a plan. "We never know how high we are" is a carefully organized poem. It consists of two quatrains with an identifiable rhyme scheme and meter, yet the name for this form, like the meaning of heroes and heroism, is elusive. Just as the “the Cubits warp” (Line 7) people, Dickinson distorts and twists blank verse. She trims off a few syllables and adds rhyme. She makes a form that suits her.