Emily had a solitary life by choice. After attending a Ralph Waldo Emerson lecture she returned to her room and never left. Her sister was the only other human she allowed in. It worked for her. "Because I could not stop for death" is one of the most famous and enduring poems ever written.
Poetry with in poetry words form from Emily’s different view of seeing. Captured pictures gossamer webs entangle me; threads that wrap in a death grip and hold my attention to the end. Every time your eyes see something that others do not see. Thanks for your poetic post.
I have this cute little book of Emily Dickinson poems! I took a photo of it to share and I'll tag you in it soon!!! Anyway, great post!!! Wasn't Emily a brilliant writer!? I think some have thought Emily Dickinson had Epilepsy due to her sort of dark yet absolutely beautiful poems. It's having to live very close to death when you have Epilepsy. I know, I have it and I've already almost died more times than can be counted on my hands and feet put together. It's a very hard way to live but one you get used to. Perhaps she did have it. Who knows!?! Still, like you said in that time, you really didn't need to have any sort of health condition to live close to death. Sadly, death was already all around.
I always love your words posts, Grant! I especially loved the sirocco comic!
SIX AMERICAN POETS was one of the primary things that turned me into a poet when I bought a copy on a whim when I was 16--the old one with the yellow cover, not the newer one with the much nicer cover 🤣. I even wrote a guest post last year about that book over on M. E. Rothwell's excellent newsletter, "The Books That Made Us":
Shipping them was prohibitively expensive. I only have a few that I read over and over. I brought them with me. As it was I had to pay $10K to ship a small cardboard box with a rug, a wood carving and a few books. Textiles were a protected commodity and I had to become a licensed Import Export dealer with an LLC. Plus the attorneys fees. But everything in that box had significant meaning and was what I was able to bring with me from my life in the US. No regrets.
Wow, that's a lot. And books are HEAVY. When I moved a year ago I tried to downsize my library. I ended up getting rid of about 3 books before giving up...
Brilliant post. Thank you so much ❤
Thank you for the Dickinson poems. I look forward to next week's installment.
Emily had a solitary life by choice. After attending a Ralph Waldo Emerson lecture she returned to her room and never left. Her sister was the only other human she allowed in. It worked for her. "Because I could not stop for death" is one of the most famous and enduring poems ever written.
Brilliant!!!
Poetry with in poetry words form from Emily’s different view of seeing. Captured pictures gossamer webs entangle me; threads that wrap in a death grip and hold my attention to the end. Every time your eyes see something that others do not see. Thanks for your poetic post.
I have this cute little book of Emily Dickinson poems! I took a photo of it to share and I'll tag you in it soon!!! Anyway, great post!!! Wasn't Emily a brilliant writer!? I think some have thought Emily Dickinson had Epilepsy due to her sort of dark yet absolutely beautiful poems. It's having to live very close to death when you have Epilepsy. I know, I have it and I've already almost died more times than can be counted on my hands and feet put together. It's a very hard way to live but one you get used to. Perhaps she did have it. Who knows!?! Still, like you said in that time, you really didn't need to have any sort of health condition to live close to death. Sadly, death was already all around.
Wow, that's an interesting connection with epilepsy and Emily, it makes sense to me. Thank you for sharing your story!
I always love your words posts, Grant! I especially loved the sirocco comic!
SIX AMERICAN POETS was one of the primary things that turned me into a poet when I bought a copy on a whim when I was 16--the old one with the yellow cover, not the newer one with the much nicer cover 🤣. I even wrote a guest post last year about that book over on M. E. Rothwell's excellent newsletter, "The Books That Made Us":
https://booksthatmadeus.substack.com/p/flipping-through-poems-like-the-pages
Yes, I'm hoping to share some of that book next week. And I love your post about it, which I linked to above. Great work!
Thanks! I should've clicked the link before I commented, I just get so excited anytime talks about that book!
I'll forever call Wallace Stevens "Wally" after reading your piece 😁
I got rid of my books when I moved to South America. Sold them all on ebay. But please don't judge me. I have over 5000 in a cloud. Does that count? 😘
Better ebooks than nobooks!
Shipping them was prohibitively expensive. I only have a few that I read over and over. I brought them with me. As it was I had to pay $10K to ship a small cardboard box with a rug, a wood carving and a few books. Textiles were a protected commodity and I had to become a licensed Import Export dealer with an LLC. Plus the attorneys fees. But everything in that box had significant meaning and was what I was able to bring with me from my life in the US. No regrets.
Wow, that's a lot. And books are HEAVY. When I moved a year ago I tried to downsize my library. I ended up getting rid of about 3 books before giving up...
Loved your post! I’m reminded of cochineal in one of her poems.