What can I say about this collection?

It's truly remarkable. I think I should never be finished with it. This collection has taken up permanent residence on my night stand.

I've been a Dickinson fan for a while, but I never considered her as one of my favorites. However, there's something special about reading her words when you're in the same mood that the writing is in.

Poems that I've read and heard many times before now hit my head and my heart in a different way. Poems that I skimmed over and cast aside are now dog-eared as some of my favorites.

I firmly believe that everyone should read this collection. And then, when they're done, they should read it again. And for good measure, they should read it one more time.

This collection has the power to touch your soul and make you see the world from a different perspective. It's a must-read for anyone who loves poetry or wants to explore the beauty of language.

**Title: The Importance of Recycling**

Recycling is of utmost importance in today's world.

It helps to conserve natural resources, reduce energy consumption, and minimize waste sent to landfills.

By recycling materials such as paper, plastic, glass, and metal, we can give them a new life and prevent the need to extract and process virgin materials.

This not only saves energy but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental pollutants.

Recycling also creates jobs in the recycling industry, from collection and sorting to processing and manufacturing.

In addition, it can save money for individuals and businesses by reducing the cost of waste disposal and the need to purchase new materials.

To encourage recycling, it is essential to raise public awareness about its benefits and provide convenient recycling facilities.

Schools, businesses, and communities can all play a role in promoting recycling and making it a part of our daily lives.

By working together, we can make a significant impact on the environment and create a more sustainable future for ourselves and future generations.

Let's all do our part and recycle!

4.25

We continue to be learners in the reading of Dickinson's poems, primarily due to their genuine difficulty. Dickinson's works are not easily understood, and they pose a challenge that grows with each passing century. Just like Whitman, she will surely remain somewhere, waiting for us. Harold Bloom's words remind us of the complexity and enduring allure of Dickinson's poetry.

Her poems, such as "There's no Frigate like a Book" and "Heart! We will forget him!" are filled with vivid imagery and profound emotions. The comparison of a book to a frigate and a page to a horse in the first poem showcases her unique way of seeing the world. In the second poem, the longing and the attempt to forget are expressed with great intensity.

"Hope" is another remarkable poem, where hope is personified as a bird that sings without words and never stops. The description of how hope endures even in the harshest of conditions is truly moving. Similarly, "They say that 'Time assuages'" explores the nature of grief and the fallacy that time heals all wounds. Dickinson's insights into the human experience are both profound and thought-provoking.

These poems, along with the accompanying artworks by Juan Gris, Mark Rothko, George Frederick Watts, and Morteza Katoyzian, offer a multi-faceted exploration of Dickinson's world. The artworks add another layer of meaning and interpretation, enhancing our understanding of her poetry.

I have a particular fondness for the one that has a rap-like rhythm.

The Wind didn't originate from the Orchard today. It came from a place even further away. It didn't bother to stop and play with the Hay. Nor did it pose a threat to a Hat. He is a very transitive fellow. You can rely on that.

If He leaves a Bur at the door, we know He has climbed a Fir. But where exactly is the Fir? Declare. Have you ever been there?

If He brings the Odors of Clovers, and that is His business, not Ours, then He has been with the Mowers. He has been whetting away the Hours to those sweet pauses of Hay, following His Way on a June Day.

If He flings Sand, and Pebble, Little Boys' Hats, and Stubble, along with an occasional Steeple, and a hoarse "Get out of the way, I say," who would be the fool to stay? Would you? Say. Would you be the fool to stay?

If melancholy, longing and quiet passion are your game, Emily Dickinson is your girl.

Her poetry is a profound exploration of these emotions, delving deep into the human psyche.

With her unique style and concise language, Dickinson captures the essence of these complex feelings in a way that few others can.

Her poems are filled with vivid imagery and powerful metaphors, painting a picture of a world that is both beautiful and tragic.

Whether she is writing about love, loss, or the mysteries of life and death, Dickinson's words have the ability to touch the heart and stir the soul.

So if you are looking for a poet who can speak to your inner turmoil and help you make sense of your emotions, look no further than Emily Dickinson.

Emily Dickinson was truly a master of slant rhymes. She had an extraordinary affection for them and used them in the most beautiful and captivating ways.

Her talent for painting vivid pictures through just a few words was remarkable, especially in her short poems.

Each line seemed to be carefully crafted to convey a specific emotion or image.

The slant rhymes added an extra layer of depth and musicality to her works, making them even more engaging and memorable.

Reading her poems is like taking a journey into a world of her own creation, where words come alive and paint a beautiful and unique landscape.

I absolutely loved her use of slant rhymes and the way she was able to bring her poems to life with such skill and artistry.

I liked these poems quite a bit. However, they didn't have the same profound impact on me as the works of Edgar Allan Poe or Oscar Wilde. Do I necessarily prefer my poetry to be dark and brooding? I'm not sure as I'm still new to this realm. These poems are mostly filled with hope or joy. Some might lean towards being nostalgic or wistful, but they never reach the point of being moody or somber. Even one of my favorites, called "Griefs" which is about grief, still has a certain lightness. Another favorite, "Returning", is nostalgic about going home, yet it lacks that intense passion and is more playful.

I had an issue with this Kindle edition. It used titles for some poems and not others. From what I understand, none of them originally had titles. This made some of the poems rather confusing. There was a little squiggly line sometimes, but it wasn't clear if some were part of the previous poem or not. I checked the first line index in the back for some that I thought didn't fit. Their first lines were in the index, so I believe they were separate poems, but they weren't separated in the index. I don't know enough about poetry or her poetry to be certain. In any case, they seemed like separate poems to me. Of this type, my favorites include: "If I can stop one heart from breaking", "They say that 'time assuages'", "I'm nobody! Who are you?", "This is my letter to the world", "I had no time to hate because", "Delight becomes pictorial", and "I never saw a moor".

Some of my other favorites not previously mentioned are: "Compensation - For each ecstatic instant", "The Lost Jewel - I held a jewel in my fingers", "Hope - Hope is the thing with feathers", "The Wind's Visit - The wind tapped like a tired man", "The Chariot - Because I could not stop for Death", "Experience - I stepped from plank to plank", and "A Book - There is no frigate like a book". With so many favorites, I think it deserves a 4.5-star rating.

First of all, my rating is specifically for the poems themselves and not for this particular edition. This edition was extremely poorly executed, and I mainly utilized it as a guide for a group read, while sourcing the poems elsewhere for the actual reading experience. I would strongly encourage anyone desiring to read Dickinson to search for a far superior edition than this one.

Not every single poem in this collection represents Dickinson's absolute best work. However, each one of them has something significant to convey to us, provided that we approach them with an open mind and a willingness to listen.

"Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul," is among my personal favorites. The concept of hope being likened to a bird that sings ceaselessly within the soul and never demands a crumb in return is both highly visual and incredibly appealing.

"There’s a certain slant of light, On winter afternoons, That oppresses, like the weight Of cathedral tunes." This poem immediately brought to my mind Monet's painting, The Magpie, and the beauty of the afternoon light on a snowy yet desolate winter's day.

The marvelous imagery of a beautiful sunset can be appreciated on a surface level, but there is also a deeper meaning regarding the passage of a life and reaching the other side, with Christ as the shepherd there to lead "the flock away."

"I'll tell you how the Sun rose - A Ribbon at a time - The Steeples swam in Amethyst - The news like Squirrels, ran - The Hills untied their Bonnets - The Bobolinks - begun - Then I said softly to myself - 'That must have been the Sun'! But how he set - I know not - There seemed a purple stile That little Yellow boys and girls Were climbing all the while - Till when they reached the other side, A Dominie in Gray - Put gently up the evening Bars - And led the flock away." What makes her poetry so special is the way she addresses subjects that are familiar to each and every one of us, regardless of our age or station in life. I also firmly believe that she has uncovered a fundamental truth - it requires far more than just time to heal a genuine hurt.

"They say that ‘time assuages,’-- Time never did assuage; An actual suffering strengthens, As sinews do, with age. Time is a test of trouble, But not a remedy, If such it prove, it prove too There was no malady." Another long-time favorite of mine. I have it on a sampler that I purchased approximately forty years ago and have carried with me from one home to another.

"I never saw a moor, I never saw the sea; Yet know I how the heather looks, And what a wave must be. I never spoke with God, Nor visited in heaven; Yet certain am I of the spot As if the chart were given." One more poem from this collection, as it made me think of the day after my Mother passed away; the stillness in her room and the hushed murmur of voices in the kitchen.

"The bustle in a house The morning after death Is solemnest of industries Enacted upon earth,-- The sweeping up the heart, And putting love away We shall not want to use again Until eternity." I have read Emily Dickinson numerous times, but one can never read these poems too many times. They are as full and rich as many more complex and intricate verses. They possess a magic in their imagery, which brings to life the mind of this remarkable woman.

When I saw the house in Amherst, I said, "Well, if I had such a house, I wouldn't go out either, I would be a Dickinson." When I returned to my own house, I said I would read her poems. Then;

"My heart! We will forget him
You and I - tonight!
You may forget the warmth he gave -
I will forget the light!"
When I read these lines, I realized that the china was not in the house.

A precious, mouldering pleasure ‘tis / To meet an antique book, / In just the dress his century wore; / A privilege, I think…

Discovering an old, weathered book is truly a remarkable experience. It is as if we are granted a rare privilege to travel back in time and witness the literary treasures of a bygone era. The sight of an antique book, with its tattered cover and yellowed pages, evokes a sense of nostalgia and mystery. It makes us wonder about the hands that have held it, the stories it has told, and the lives it has touched. Each page seems to hold a secret, waiting to be unlocked by the curious reader. Whether it is a classic novel, a collection of poetry, or a historical treatise, an antique book is a precious relic that connects us to the past and enriches our present.

This is, probably, one of the best poetry books that I have ever read.

However, I am not the best poetry reader that this book has ever had!

Poetry is a unique form of literature that requires a certain level of understanding and appreciation.

Some people are naturally inclined towards it, while others may struggle to fully grasp its essence.

In my case, although I enjoy reading poetry, I know that I still have a long way to go in terms of being a truly excellent poetry reader.

Nevertheless, this book has managed to touch my heart and soul in ways that I did not expect.

The words seem to flow effortlessly, painting vivid pictures and evoking powerful emotions.

It is a testament to the talent and creativity of the author.

I am grateful to have come across this book and look forward to exploring more of its beautiful poetry in the future.

**“A Book”**

A Book is truly a remarkable thing. There is no frigate as magnificent as a book that can transport us to far-off lands and distant shores, away from the confines of our daily lives. Nor are there any coursers as swift and graceful as a page filled with prancing poetry, carrying us on a journey of the imagination.

This traverse that a book offers can be the poorest in terms of material possessions, yet it comes without the oppress of toll. It is a frugal chariot, but one that has the power to bear the human soul aloft. Through the words on its pages, a book can inspire, educate, and entertain. It can make us laugh, cry, and think deeply about the world around us.

Whether we are reading a classic novel, a work of non-fiction, or a collection of poetry, a book has the ability to change our lives. It can open our minds to new ideas, expand our horizons, and give us a greater understanding of ourselves and others. So, the next time you pick up a book, remember the power it holds and the wonderful journey it can take you on.