Eating Poetry

By Mark Strand

1 Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.

2 There is no happiness like mine.
3 I have been eating poetry.

4 The librarian does not believe what she sees.

5 Her eyes are sad
6 and she walks with her hands in her dress.

7 The poems are gone.

8 The light is dim.
9 The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up.

10 Their eyeballs roll,

11 their blond legs burn like brush.
12 The poor librarian begins to stamp her feet and weep.

13 She does not understand.

14 When I get on my knees and lick her hand,
15 she screams.

16 I am a new man.
17 I snarl at her and bark.
18 I romp with joy in the bookish dark.

Pre-Reading Information
About the Poet: Mark Strand
Mark Strand (1934–2014) was a Canadian-born poet and writer who later
became an American citizen. He was known for his unique style of poetry,
often exploring themes of identity, transformation, and the surreal
(strange and dreamlike). Strand’s poems are usually mysterious and make
readers think deeply about emotions and experiences. He won several
awards for his work, showing how impactful his poetry has been around
the world. “Eating Poetry” is one of his most famous poems, written in
1980.
Context of the Poem
The poem focuses on the transformative power of poetry and how it can
bring overwhelming happiness to those who fully engage with it. The
speaker describes consuming poetry as though it’s food, showing his deep
passion. The setting is a library, where his joy shocks the librarian, who
cannot understand his actions or emotions. This poem encourages readers
to embrace their passions fully, even if others don’t understand.
Line-by-Line Analysis

Stanza 1
Ink runs from the corners of my
mouth. “Ink runs from the corners of my
There is no happiness like mine. mouth” – Ink is personified. This
I have been eating poetry. makes the act of consuming poetry feel
vivid and almost tangible, as though the
The speaker introduces the surreal
ink has a life of its own.
image of eating poetry. The line
“Ink runs from the corners of my mouth” suggests that he has consumed
the written words so completely they have physically and metaphorically
become a part of him. This vivid imagery immediately sets the tone for
the poem as strange and transformative.

The speaker’s joy is emphasized in

“There is no happiness like mine.”
“There is no happiness like mine,”
showing that poetry has affected him This is a hyperbole. The speaker
in an extraordinary way. This sets the exaggerates the intensity of his
theme of transformation in motion, as happiness, suggesting it is beyond
the speaker’s relationship with poetry comparison.
surpasses ordinary human
experience.

Stanza 2
The librarian does not believe what she sees.
Her eyes are sad
and she walks with her hands in her dress.
“Her eyes are sad” gives human
Here, the librarian is introduced as a
emotions (sadness) to the
contrasting figure to the speaker. She
represents logic and order, unable to librarian's eyes, personifying
comprehend the speaker’s unrestrained them seem as though they can
passion. Her “sad” eyes suggest her express or feel something on their
confusion or even a sense of loss because own.
she cannot share in his passion.

The description, “walks with her hands in The contrast between the
her dress,” evokes an image of someone
speaker’s joy and the librarian’s
shielding themselves, emphasizing her
discomfort and confusion. This adds a layer discomfort, highlights the
of tension between her and the speaker’s transformative and isolating
surreal joy. power of passion.
Stanza 3
The poems are gone.
The light is dim.
The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up.

The speaker has consumed all the poems, leaving none behind.

The phrase “the light is dim” suggests that time has passed as the
speaker was lost in his passion, with the library now darkening.
Alternatively, it could hint at a brief moment of disappointment or
emptiness following the act of consuming poetry, as though the
experience left him craving more.

The sudden appearance of dogs introduces a surreal and energetic tone.

The dogs symbolize the speaker’s unleashed passion and creativity, rising
from the basement where they were previously suppressed.

Stanza 4
Their eyeballs roll,
their blond legs burn like brush.
The poor librarian begins to stamp her feet and weep.
“Blond legs burn like
The description of the dogs is intense and wild.
brush” repeats the “b”
Their “eyeballs roll” and “blond legs burn like
brush” create vivid, almost chaotic imagery that sound (alliteration),
reflects the speaker’s fiery, unrestrained joy. intensifying the vivid
imagery.
Meanwhile, the librarian reacts with despair, stamping her feet and
weeping. Her inability to understand or connect with the speaker’s
experience is emphasized here, heightening the contrast between them.

Stanza 5
She does not understand.
When I get on my knees and lick her hand,
she screams.

The speaker states explicitly that the librarian “does not understand” what
is happening. His transformation into a dog-like figure is complete when
he gets on his knees and licks her hand.

What might be seen as a playful or affectionate gesture by the speaker is

perceived as terrifying by the librarian, who screams. Her fear highlights
her alienation from the speaker’s experience and her inability to embrace
his transformation.
Stanza 6
I am a new man. “I romp with joy in the bookish
I snarl at her and bark.
dark” – Conveys the speaker’s
I romp with joy in the bookish dark.
unrestrained happiness in a
The speaker declares himself “a setting traditionally associated
new man,” underscoring the with order and quiet.
transformative power of poetry. He has shed his previous self and fully
embraced his wild, passionate love for poetry.

The line “I romp with joy in the bookish dark” ties together the themes of
joy and transformation. The “dark” of the library becomes a space of
freedom and playfulness, where the speaker celebrates his love for poetry
without restraint.
Themes
Transformation
The speaker changes dramatically, both in how he acts and how he feels.
He starts as a human and ends up acting like a dog.

This change is shown in these lines:

“I am a new man.” (Stanza 6)
Here, the speaker says he’s a “new man,” meaning that poetry has
changed him completely, turning him into someone different from who he
was before.

“I snarl at her and bark.” (Stanza 6)

The speaker’s transformation is finished when he starts acting like a dog,
barking and snarling. This wild behaviour is very different from the
librarian’s confusion, which makes it clear how much the speaker has
changed.

The idea of eating poetry and turning into a dog shows how deeply poetry
has affected the speaker. The strange images in the poem (like licking the
librarian’s hand) show how much poetry has changed his personality and
actions.

The Power of Poetry

Poetry is a powerful force in the poem, completely changing the speaker.
This power is shown through:
“There is no happiness like mine.” (Stanza 1)
The speaker says that his happiness is the best there is, showing how
much poetry has made him feel joy. The exaggeration here makes it clear
that his joy is overwhelming and unlike anything else.

“I have been eating poetry.” (Stanza 1)

The speaker says he has “eaten” poetry, which means it has become a
huge part of him. This shows how much poetry has shaped his life and
how important it is to him.

The speaker’s transformation into a dog represents how poetry makes him
full of energy and passion. It shows that poetry has a wild, uncontrollable
power over him.

Tone
Surreal
The tone of the poem feels strange and dreamlike because the events
that happen are unusual and don’t make sense in real life:

“The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up.” (Stanza 3)
This line creates an image of dogs, which don’t belong in a library,
suddenly appearing. It feels surreal, like something from a dream. The
dogs coming from the basement add to the idea that something hidden or
surprising is being revealed.
“When I get on my knees and lick her hand” (Stanza 5)
This line is another strange moment in the poem. The speaker licks the
librarian’s hand, which is unexpected and odd, making the whole situation
feel surreal, as if it's part of a dream.

Playful
Even though the speaker is causing confusion, the overall tone stays fun
and light-hearted.
His joy is clear, and it feels like he’s playing:
“I romp with joy in the bookish dark.” (Stanza 6)
The word “romp” shows that the speaker is playing and having fun. He is
so happy that he’s running around in the library, like a child at play. The
idea of “romping” makes the tone feel carefree and playful.

The speaker’s playful attitude is also shown when he licks the librarian’s
hand. Even though it makes her upset, his action seems more innocent
and mischievous than harmful, adding to the playful feeling of the poem.

Literary Devices
1. Imagery
o The poem is filled with vivid images that appeal to the senses,
such as “Ink runs from the corners of my mouth” and “their
blond legs burn like brush.”
2. Alliteration
o Examples like “walks with” and “blond legs burn like brush”
create a musical quality in the poem.
3. Enjambment
o The continuation of a sentence across lines, such as in stanza
two, reflects the flowing nature of the speaker’s joy.
4. Contrast
o The speaker’s joy and transformation are contrasted with the
librarian’s sadness and fear, emphasizing the gap between
them.