Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Mass., December 10, 1830, and died there May 15, 1886. Ms. Dickinson was by all accounts recluse by nature and only rarely made an appearance in public. At the same time, in a remarkable dichotomy of character which interestingly is consistent with her sometimes bold, sometimes reticent poetic style, she was reportedly a gracious hostess during her father’s annual receptions held at their home.
Very few of Ms. Dickinson’s poems were published during her lifetime, owing to her reclusive temperament, and even those few were published reluctantly, after persistent persuasion from her father and her very few friends. Yet, she wrote over 1,800 poems in her lifetime, each set to her own rigorous literary standards. After her death, with her work in the hands of her sister and those same few friends, a significant section of her poems was published.
Her work is wholly original, showing profound insight into nature and life. A beautiful description of her works appears in the book titled, Emily Dickinson, Poetry Collection (Preface), written thus, “In many cases these verses will seem to the reader like poetry torn up by the roots, with rain and dew and earth still clinging to them, giving a freshness and fragrance not otherwise to be conveyed”.
Dickinson’s poems are unique to her era in which she wrote short lines, typically did not title the poems, and often used slant rhyme as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation. She frequently wrote of death and immortality using nature to personify the living.
In reading Ms. Dickinson’s work, I found a level of confidence in creating my own style, buoyed by the sense of independence and freedom of thought she exhibits in her verses. She was not afraid to deviate from convention if her verse required it to convey her thoughts. That boldness inspires me to write my poetry with the same freedom, an absence of the fear of making a mistake. At the same time, the quality of her poems sets a high bar and has driven me to stretch my personal boundaries, making me hungrier to continue to improve my work.
Click the button below to enjoy some of my favorite Dickinson poems.
Work Cited: “Emily Dickinson, Poetry Collection”; ICG Testing.com, LaVerge, Tn, May 5, 2020.
Ronald Whetsell's Creative Writing and Poetry Blog 