I dwell in possibility

Emily Dickinson's poem, "I dwell on possibility" is about an imaginary house which she is creating in the realm of her poetry. Having full control over the dimensions of the house, she creates a fantastic abode using the endless materials of her imagination. She says it is a fairer house than prose, because she can use her skills in the craft of poetry to manipulate the structure of her house. Therefore we must assume that her house made out of prose has some limited boundaries and this house is not as satisfying to live in. Dickinson's use of the dash is similar to that of a coma in a list. She separates nearly every idea with a dash, leading to an overall unity of all the elements in the poem. In the first strophe she is making comparisons to her house of prose, saying it has more windows and doors. The she takes it further in deliberating on the limitless possibilities she has to work with. More rooms than there are cedar trees, and a roof that stretches as far as the sky. There is no room for dissatisfaction of the eye she says. And of course, there wouldn't be any, because she would only have the fairest guests to her home. And to pay the mortgage all she has to do is continue doing her work, which is spreading her hands and embracing the possibilities of her perfect abode and paradise. So in a sense her job is to keep on being creative, through her words, being a poet.