--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Buzzing at the Sill is from a Theodore…" description: "\"Buzzing at the Sill is from a Theodore Roethke poem called \"In a Dark Time.\" I'd heard a small part of it in a play, a sort of sci-fi play about morali..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/968/peter-van-agtmael-25908_book_buzzing-at-the-sill-is-from-a-theodore-r_2160153.jpg" --- # Buzzing at the Sill is from a Theodore Roethke poem called… ![“Buzzing at the Sill is from a Theodore Roethke poem called "In a Dark Time." I'd heard a small part of it in a play, a sort of sci-fi play about morality in a virtual reality universe. Nothing to do with the book precisely, but it was a great play.” quote by Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/968/peter-van-agtmael-25908_book_buzzing-at-the-sill-is-from-a-theodore-r_2160153.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/968/peter-van-agtmael-25908_book_buzzing-at-the-sill-is-from-a-theodore-r_2160153.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/968/peter-van-agtmael-25908_book_buzzing-at-the-sill-is-from-a-theodore-r_2160153.jpg) > “Buzzing at the Sill is from a Theodore Roethke poem called "In a Dark Time." I'd heard a small part of it in a play, a sort of sci-fi play about morality in a virtual reality universe. Nothing to do with the book precisely, but it was a great play.” [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote evokes a surreal, futuristic setting where technology and morality intersect, suggesting a blend of poetry and sci‑fi narrative. **In simple terms:** A futuristic play mixes poetry with moral questions about virtual reality. Key Takeaway Explore how art can frame ethical debates about tech. Themes technology morality virtual reality poetry science fiction Mood thoughtful speculative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - stage productions - virtual reality ethics discussions - literary analysis - philosophical debates Key Concepts existentialism ethical dilemmas artistic interpretation Questions to Reflect On - How does poetry influence our view of technology? - What moral challenges arise in virtual worlds? A Different Perspective The reference may conflate the poem with a play, potentially misattributing the source. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Buzzing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buzzing/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dark times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-times/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Sci fi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sci-fi/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Virtual reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtual-reality/) ## Related quotes > [ \[Buzzing at the Sill\] deals with the margins of America, a lot of parts unseen. Well, parts that are seen and familiar to a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/buzzing-at-the-sill-deals-with-the-margins-of-america-a-lot-of-parts/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [Sometimes my friends and I are sill,y and sometimes we're serious, and sometimes we're emotional, and sometimes we're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-fogel/sometimes-my-friends-and-i-are-sill-y-and-sometimes-we-re-serious-and/) [Susanna Fogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-fogel/) > [ I read the poem \[In a Dark Time by Theodore Roethke\] because I was intrigued and had one of those strange senses: "This poem… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/i-read-the-poem-in-a-dark-time-by-theodore-roethke-because-i-was/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [I would read the Shel Silverstein poems, Dr. Seuss, and I noticed early on that poetry was something that just stuck in my head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-would-read-the-shel-silverstein-poems-dr-seuss-and-i-noticed-early/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [“Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines he wrote a poem And he called it "Chops" because that was the name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/once-on-a-yellow-piece-of-paper-with-green-lines-he-wrote-a-poem-and/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [“a poem called “The Night Before Doom”: “ ’Twas the night before Doom, / and all through the house, / I had set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kushner/a-poem-called-the-night-before-doom-twas-the-night-before-doom-and/) [David Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kushner/) > [A man of my acquaintance once wrote a poem called "The Road Less Traveled", describing a journey he took through the woods along a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-of-my-acquaintance-once-wrote-a-poem-called-the-road-less/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It was a destructive novel of acquired ideas. 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These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-glendinning/unable-to-find-a-title-for-her-last-published-novel-she-wrote-six/) [Victoria Glendinning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-glendinning/) > [“Once on yellow sheet of paper with green lines, he wrote a poem and he called it “Spot” because that was the name of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-reum/once-on-yellow-sheet-of-paper-with-green-lines-he-wrote-a-poem-and-he/) Earl Reum > [After my grandfather died I went down to the basement of my family house where my family kept books, anthologies and things and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/after-my-grandfather-died-i-went-down-to-the-basement-of-my-family/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [My favourite poem is called 'Roots and Wings' - it's a very moving poem about how if you've got real roots you can fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-miliband/my-favourite-poem-is-called-roots-and-wings-it-s-a-very-moving-poem/) [David Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-miliband/) ## More by Peter van Agtmael > [I was taking all prints and I brought them to the Magnum meetings, trying the old Josef Koudelka trick: Give them to photographers, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/i-was-taking-all-prints-and-i-brought-them-to-the-magnum-meetings/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [I think a lot of the work I've done and a lot of the work I'm going to do in the future still ties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/i-think-a-lot-of-the-work-i-ve-done-and-a-lot-of-the-work-i-m-going/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [ That kind of unease, that melancholy, is of course partly my interpretation, but partly, I think, it's something that's really there \[in America\] as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/that-kind-of-unease-that-melancholy-is-of-course-partly-my/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [ You find \[reverberations from 9/11 \] in them most unexpected places, like graffiti on a wall. Sometimes it's a faded picture; sometimes it's a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/you-find-reverberations-from-9-11-in-them-most-unexpected-places-like/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [Nothing is over until there's something more decisive than your own thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/nothing-is-over-until-there-s-something-more-decisive-than-your-own/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [It was sometimes provoked by assignments, then I'd go back on my own dime if I really clicked with a place. And sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/it-was-sometimes-provoked-by-assignments-then-i-d-go-back-on-my-own/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [The big question that everyone is asking themselves, or what they should be asking themselves right now, is what role has the media played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/the-big-question-that-everyone-is-asking-themselves-or-what-they/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [Sometimes the picture is more interesting than what is going on. Sometimes the picture is suggestive of greater things in society or the history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/sometimes-the-picture-is-more-interesting-than-what-is-going-on/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [I'm a constant editor. Every few months or so I make a ton of 4x6 prints. 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But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/i-am-still-covering-conflict-to-some-degree-i-was-back-in-iraq-i-ve/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [ I read the poem \[In a Dark Time by Theodore Roethke\] because I was intrigued and had one of those strange senses: "This poem… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/i-read-the-poem-in-a-dark-time-by-theodore-roethke-because-i-was/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [I realized how little I knew about my own country. 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Well, parts that are seen and familiar to a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/buzzing-at-the-sill-deals-with-the-margins-of-america-a-lot-of-parts/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) [Explore all 22 Peter van Agtmael quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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