Our visiting poet for Sunday, August 9, 2015, is New England Poet
Emily Dickinson with her memorable poem:
Because I could not stop for Death--
Because I could not stop for Death--
He kindly stopped for me--
The Carriage held but just Ourselves--
And Immortality.
We slowly drove--He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility--
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess--in the Ring--
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain--
We passed the Setting Sun--
Or rather--He passed us--
The Dews drew quivering and chill--
For only Gossamer, my Gown--
My Tippet--only Tulle--
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground--
The Roof was scarcely visible--
The Cornice--in the Ground--
Since then--'tis Centuries--and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity--
"Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) is buried in West Cemetery, Amherst, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, America.
Gravestone of Emily Dickinson: "Called Back".
Emily was educated at Amherst Academy and Mount Holyoake. As a young woman she was outgoing and sociable but gradually she began to withdraw from the world until, by the age of 30, she was a virtual recluse. She was however a prolific letter writer and corresponded, in particular, with Samuel Bowles, the editor of the Springfield Republican.
During her lifetime she had only a handful of poems published and these were heavily edited. After Emily's death, her sister discovered more than 1800 of her poems in a dresser drawer in her house in Amherst. These poems were finally published in 1890 (edited by Mabel Loomis Todd and T.W. Higginson) - with their original punctuation and presentation restored.
At first Emily was regarded as a quirky, minor poet but her reputation has grown steadily and she is seen today as having a unique voice and style. Emily's poetry reflected her powerful sense of isolation and inner conflict. She is sometimes known as the 'Belle' or 'Nun of Amherst'".
http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/dickinson.htm
Anecdotal Footnote: Decades ago it was my privilege to visit her gravesite late one wintry afternoon in Amherst, Massachusetts.....
