Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Dear Miss Emily Dickinson,


My friends are my estate.



Dear Miss Dickinson,

Strike & I visited your home/museum last week. Tho' poetry has never really been "my thing", your words intrigued me & I managed to identify some things we share in common. Among them...

- a keen interest in Botany

- It seems finding just the right words to wrap around your thoughts was important to you - but rather difficult to do at times.

- You broke well established grammar rules (to the chagrin of editors/critics) - & frequently used dashes as opposed to more proper punctuation. Not sure when/how I started doing that, but I do it too.

- Your simple white dress reminds me of my more contemporary style - as jeans & a white shirt are among my favorite things to wear.

- Major themes of your writings include flowers/gardening & the Gospel & I sense that by closely examining & carefully considering nature, you gained a better understanding of the nature of The Creator too.

- I also relate to your enjoyment of solitude. If I don't enjoy some of it for myself each day (preferably in the morning), I feel rather cheated.

During our tour of your home, we went out on the lawn & stood near the giant old oak tree where we were given excerpts of your writings to share with the group by reading aloud. I was given...

A little Madness in the Spring
Is wholesome even for the King,
But God be with the Clown,
Who ponders this tremendous scene--
This whole experiment in green,
As if it were his own!

&
Strike read this one...

"Faith" is a fine invention
When Gentlemen can see -
But Microscopes are prudent
In an Emergency


Despite having written hundreds of poems during your lifetime, at some point you concluded that
Saying nothing... sometimes says the most.

...and I agree! Tho' I'd be remiss if I didn't pause here, before closing, to say thank you for inspiring Strike to want to be (key words here) a better writer!! Hearing her tell me that herself after visiting your place was music to my ears(!) - bc by teaching, I've learned enough to know that...

Creating desire within a student
to want to learn what's being taught
means half the battle of teaching them
has already been fought :)

Hey - this poetry stuff IS kinda fun!

It was my pleasure getting to know you after ALL these years. Had I been given the opportunity to do the same when you were living on this side of eternity - I imagine .... we might have been friends :)

Many thanks & Sincerely,

A (modern) "Contemporary"



P.S. I've enclosed some pics that Strike took while wandering thru' your lovely gardens.





This is my letter to the world,
That never wrote to me,--
The simple news that Nature told,
With tender majesty....



Forever is composed of nows.


A word is dead when it is said, Some say. I say it just Begins to live That day.


2 comments:

GlassMelts said...

It is so wonderful that you are surrounded by such history. Although AZ definitely has it's history, it is relatively recent.

Yiota said...

Thank you for this great post! I enjoyed everything: your words, the poetry and Strike's photos!