Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Author Highlight: Emily Dickinson

In January I decided* to pick a poet to focus on for this year. The poet I chose is Emily Dickinson. I have been learning a bit about her life and my goal is to read a minimum of 10 poems by her each month. I have exceeded this goal every month so far, because I am enjoying it so much. Emily Dickinson was born in 1830 and died in 1886. She never married and was considered eccentric. A number of her poems are about books and reading, including this little gem:

He ate and drank the precious words,
His spirit grew robust;
He knew no more that he was poor,
Nor that his frame was dust.
He danced along the dingy days,
And this bequest of wings
Was but a book. What liberty
A loosened spirit brings!

As evidenced by this and other poems, Emily felt a great affinity for books and other readers. As a book lover myself, I get a thrill when I read what other people have written about reading. I too know what it is like to fill up on words.



*This decision was part of a larger decision to participate in a personal growth course for homeschooling mothers. You can learn more about this program here.

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