Ghosts
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox

    There are ghosts in the room.
As I sit here alone, from the dark corners there
They come out of the gloom,
And they stand at my side and they lean on my chair

    There’s a ghost of a Hope
That lighted my days with a fanciful glow,
In her hand is the rope
That strangled her life out. Hope was slain long ago.

    But her ghost comes to-night
With its skeleton face and expressionless eyes,
And it stands in the light,
And mocks me, and jeers me with sobs and with sighs.

    There’s the ghost of a Joy,
A frail, fragile thing, and I prized it too much,
And the hands that destroy
Clasped its close, and it died at the withering touch.

    There’s the ghost of a Love,
Born with joy, reared with hope, died in pain and unrest,
But he towers above
All the others—this ghost; yet a ghost at the best,

  I am weary, and fain
Would forget all these dead: but the gibbering host
Make my struggle in vain—
In each shadowy corner there lurketh a ghost.

About this Poem

“Ghosts” appeared in the Poetical Works of Ella Wheeler Wilcox (W. P. Nimmo, Hay, & Mitchell, 1917), in the section titled “Poems of Hope.” In her essay, “Symmetrical Womanhood: Poetry in the Woman’s Building Library,” published by the University of Texas Press, poet and scholar Angela Sorby affirmed, “While Wilcox’s poems—with their ringing rhymes, facile forms, and inflated emotions—are clearly products of the genteel idealist sensibility, they are distinctive in one striking respect: they are rooted, firmly and explicitly, in the female body. Her poems neither veil the self in sentimental modesty nor escape into an ideal disembodied universalism. Instead, they make the author’s desires into a driving force. […] Ella Wheeler Wilcox embodies the contradictions of the period because her poems’ speakers are independent but also limited in their range of motion and emotion. Her poems are middlebrow, self-assured, daring (but not too daring), and committed to expressing specific ambitions that can be realized within a mainstream poetic framework.”

“Ghosts” is a poignant exploration of memory and the emotional remnants of relationships. The poem uses the metaphor of ghosts to illustrate how past experiences and lost loved ones continue to affect the living. The poem suggests that memories can be as powerful and persistent as ghosts. The speaker reflects on how these memories intrude upon daily life, evoking both pain and nostalgia. Wilcox delves into the enduring nature of love, emphasizing that even after a person is gone, their influence remains. The emotional bonds we create do not disappear; they linger in our hearts and minds. The poem captures a sense of solitude, as the speaker confronts these haunting memories alone. This isolation emphasizes the depth of the emotional impact that these “ghosts” have.

Wilcox employs vivid imagery to evoke feelings associated with memories and loss. The ghosts symbolize not just the deceased but also unresolved emotions and past experiences. The tone is reflective and melancholic, inviting readers to empathize with the speaker’s sense of longing and introspection. The “ghosts” symbolize both the past and the emotional weight carried forward into the present, highlighting the inescapable nature of our experiences. Overall, “Ghosts” serves as a meditation on how the past shapes our identity and emotional landscape. Wilcox’s poignant reflections encourage readers to acknowledge their own “ghosts,” recognizing that while they may haunt us, they also contribute to the richness of our human experience.

About the Poet

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was born on November 5, 1850, in Johnstown, Wisconsin. She was the daughter of a farmer and received a basic education in local schools. From an early age, she showed a talent for writing, often composing poems and stories.

Wilcox began publishing her poetry in local newspapers and gained wider recognition in the 1880s. Her first major collection, “Poems of Passion” (1883), was controversial for its candid treatment of love and desire but established her as a significant literary voice. She continued to write prolifically, producing numerous collections and essays throughout her career. Wilcox’s poetry often reflected themes of love, nature, and human emotions, characterized by a straightforward and accessible style. Her optimistic outlook resonated with many readers, making her work popular in her time. One of her most famous poems, “Solitude,” emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and personal growth.

Beyond her literary work, Wilcox was an outspoken advocate for women’s rights and social issues. She was involved in various reform movements and used her platform to address topics such as suffrage, education, and social justice. Wilcox married Robert Wilcox in 1871, and they lived in various locations, including Chicago and New York. The couple had one son, but their marriage faced challenges, including financial difficulties and differing views on social issues.

Wilcox continued to write until her death on October 30, 1919. Her work, though sometimes criticized for its sentimentality, has been appreciated for its emotional depth and ability to capture the complexities of human experience. Today, she is remembered as a prominent figure in American literature, with her poems continuing to resonate with readers.