Sonnet ( 1979 )

Elizabeth Bishop

Caught -- the bubble
in the spirit level,
a creature divided;
and the compass needle
wobbling and wavering,
undecided.
Freed -- the broken
thermometer's mercury
running away;
and the rainbow-bird
from the narrow bevel
of the empty mirror,
flying wherever
it feels like, gay!

Next 10 Poems

• Elizabeth Bishop : Squatter's Children
• Elizabeth Bishop : Strayed Crab
• Elizabeth Bishop : The Armadillo
• Elizabeth Bishop : The Bight
• Elizabeth Bishop : The Burglar Of Babylon
• Elizabeth Bishop : The Colder The Air
• Elizabeth Bishop : The End Of March
• Elizabeth Bishop : The Fish
• Elizabeth Bishop : The Imaginary Iceberg
• Elizabeth Bishop : The Man-moth

Previous 10 Poems

• Elizabeth Bishop : Sonnet ( 1928 )
• Elizabeth Bishop : Songs For A Colored Singer
• Elizabeth Bishop : Song For The Rainy Season
• Elizabeth Bishop : Sleeping On The Ceiling
• Elizabeth Bishop : Sestina
• Elizabeth Bishop : Seascape
• Elizabeth Bishop : Sandpiper
• Elizabeth Bishop : Roosters
• Elizabeth Bishop : Rain Towards Morning
• Elizabeth Bishop : Questions Of Travel