The first line of Dickinson’s poem is the longest, and it introduces the reader to the instructional tone of the poem. The speaker specifically creates this didactic tone by using the infinitive “To make” (Line 1) at the very beginning of this first line. The whole infinitive verb phrase is “To make a prairie” (Line 1), with “prairie” (Line 1) serving as the object of the infinitive verb phrase. A “prairie” is a specific type of landscape, defined as fertile land covered in grasses. Prairies have also typically been associated with North American landscapes. The selective word placement on the part of the speaker shifts readers’ attention directly to the act of “making” and creating—making the phrasing much more robust and active as opposed to passive.

The phrase “To make a prairie” is technically a subordinate clause; however, its prime placement at the beginning of the line negates this subordination. The inverted order of the first line helps to place this focus on the act of construction and creation. After this opening phrase, readers finally run into the subject and verb of the main clause of the sentence, “it takes.” The instructional tone of the poem begins to sound almost like a recipe, directing readers how to make their own prairie landscape. The ingredients, so to speak, of this prairie are “a clover” (Line 1) and “one bee” (Line 1). These two items serve as the direct objects for the main clause of this line. They are the prime components needed for pollination. Clover is “any of a genus (Trifolium) of low leguminous herbs having trifoliolate leaves and flowers in dense heads and including many that are valuable for forage and attractive to bees” ("clover." Merriam-Webster, 2022). The idiom “in clover” also refers to something or someone that’s in prosperity or enjoying pleasant circumstances. This “food” for the bees is one half of the equation, and the bee itself is the other. The “bee” (Line 1) with its industriousness and hard-working mentality must put the “clover” to good use in order to reach the end product of the “prairie” (Line 1).

These two ingredients are repeated in the second line of the poem. The repetition of the “clover” and “bee” is significant because their modifiers switch from the first line. In the first line, the modifiers are “a” for “clover” and “one” for “bee” (Line 1). In the second line, it is the reverse: “one” for “clover” and “a” for “bee” (Line 2). This flip-flopping of modifiers is almost more important than the repetition of the ingredients themselves. The singularity of “a” and “one” (Line 1) emphasize and clarify how much can be created from just a single bee and just a single clover. All it takes is one of each to create an entire habitat. With these ingredients—the fruitfulness of the clover and the productivity of the bee—an entire landscape comes into being where other living things can also thrive.

In the third line of the poem, the speaker adds a third ingredient to the creation of the prairie. In addition to “one bee” (Line 1) and “one clover” (Line 2), the creation of the prairie also requires “revery” (Line 3). The phrasing “And revery” (Line 3), the only words on the line, almost make the addition of this third item seem like an afterthought. From the first line to the third, the lines of the poem grow progressively shorter, almost as if the speaker continues to pare down the list of what’s necessary to create a prairie to the bare minimum. The addition of “revery” (Line 3) also serves as a direct contrast to the industry of the “bee” (Line 1). “Revery” (Line 3), also sometimes spelled “reverie,” refers to a dream-like state of meditations, visions, or thoughts. It is a state of thinking about pleasant things in a way that is similar to dreaming”. This more fantastical, intangible “work” that is more internal contrasts and balances with the practical, external work of the bee. One type of work is “hands-on,” while the other is more contemplative.

As the speaker continues, they pare down their list of requirements even further. All three components—the bee, the clover, and revery—are not pre-requisites for the creation of a prairie. Instead, all that is needed is “revery alone” (Line 4). Here the speaker prioritizes for the reader what is most necessary in order to create something new. Yes, the industriousness of the bee is important, but its productivity and practicality aren’t absolutely essential. If the bee is not essential, then the clover is not needed either. What is most important to the speaker is the “revery” (Line 4). The only essential attribute the speaker sees as necessary for creation and originality is the ability to dream and muse—to build on ideas mentally. This ability, according to the speaker, is all that is required “[i]f bees are few” (Line 5). This stipulation on the part of the speaker does not throw out the importance of bees altogether. If available, the bees with their hard work and determination are certainly good additions to the prairie-making endeavor. The message of the speaker is one of self-reliance. If bees are not around to get the job done, then the dreamer must rely on themself. They must have faith in their own revery, in their own aspirations and capabilities, even if that is all that they have. This ability to dream and muse takes precedence over practicality and productivity.