In Horrid Hooting Stanza

To fit its Ribs

And crawl between

Complaining all the while

In horrid — hooting stanza —

Then chase itself down Hill —

These lines are from a poem by Emily Dickinson titled "I taste a liquor never brewed." The poem describes the speaker's experience of being intoxicated, and the lines you have quoted suggest that the speaker feels as if they are crawling between the ribs of the landscape, "complaining all the while."

The phrase "horrid - hooting stanza" suggests that the speaker is making noise or speaking in a way that is not usually acceptable. The final line, "Then chase itself down Hill," indicates that the speaker is caught up in a frenzy or madness.

The poem can be interpreted as a celebration of the transformative power of intoxication and a reminder of how it can help us to see the two in new and different ways. At the same time, the poem also suggests that there is a danger in losing control of oneself and that pursuing pleasure can lead to self-destructive behavior if it is not balanced with a sense of responsibility and self-awareness.

N E X T

And neigh like Boanerges —

Then — punctual as a Star

Stop — docile and omnipotent

At its own stable door —