Often associated with informal or older speech, filch suggests petty theft rather than a major crime. In poetry, it can be used figuratively to describe taking beauty, color, time, or another intangible quality from the world. Its slightly playful yet furtive tone can make an ordinary act of gathering seem like a secret theft.

Filch comes from a word meaning “to steal” and is often used for taking something of little monetary value. Related words include steal, pilfer, purloin, and swipe. Pilfer is especially close in meaning, though it often emphasizes repeated small thefts. In contemporary usage, filch is not strictly a Dialect word, but its somewhat old-fashioned or informal sound may help create a particular voice or tone. When used figuratively, as in Reese’s poem, it need not imply real wrongdoing; it can suggest borrowing or gathering something precious from nature.