Which feature of Emily Dickinson’s “The Butterfly upon the Sky” helps you identify it as a lyric poem?
The Butterfly upon the Sky
That doesn’t know its Name
And hasn’t any tax to pay
And hasn’t any Home
Is just as high as you and I,
And higher, I believe,
So soar away and never sigh
And that’s the way to grieve—
Lyric poetry is defined by expressing the thoughts and feelings of the speaker/narrator. It doesn't contain a plot or multiple characters, and although the expectation is set for detailed descriptions, that is a feature of many types of poetry. Description does not set lyric poetry apart from other types as much as the single speaker feature does.
