In the course of my catching up on blog readings, I came across this via the Yarn Harlot . The idea appealed to me greatly.
Emily Dickinson has always been a personal favorite. Her work itself is inspiring, but even more so, she was one of the first female American poets to be taken seriously. Not only did she trailblaze as a female poet, she broke literary tradition by writing some of the first free verse poetry. Her voice compels the reader through its lack of meter and rhyme. The freedom of the lines removes the reader from the constraints of formality. Within the simplicty of the language and imagery lies a purity of thought that creates a sense of intellectual calm.
I briefly thought of trying to find something that was a lesser known poem instead of one of her more famous works. However, the poem I chose is one that has inspired me for years. It seemed appropriate to the day and to the goals of the silent poetry reading. When we traveled Ireland, one of my favorite parts was that the surrounding nature seemed old and wise. This sense of something greater is what Emily Dickinson talks about.
Part Two: Nature
LVII
SOME keep the Sabbath going to church;
I keep it staying at home,
With a bobolink for a chorister,
And an orchard for a dome.
Some keep the Sabbath in surplice; 5
I just wear my wings,
And instead of tolling the bell for church,
Our little sexton sings.
God preaches,—a noted clergyman,—
And the sermon is never long; 10
So instead of getting to heaven at last,
I ’m going all along!
