One of the Great Functions of Art

by Adrienne Rich

Adrienne Rich

One of the great functions of art

is to help us imagine

what it is like to be
not
ourselves,

what it is like

to be someone

or something else,

what it is like to live

in another skin,
what it is like

to live in another body,

and in that sense to surpass ourselves,

to go out beyond ourselves.





Last updated February 18, 2023