Dusting

“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.