Besides the Autumn Poets Sing (131)

Poem by Emily Dickinson

Besides the Autumn poets sing,	
A few prosaic days	
A little this side of the snow	
And that side of the Haze -	
  
A few incisive mornings -	        
A few Ascetic eves -	
Gone - Mr Bryant's "Golden Rod" -	
And Mr Thomson's "sheaves."	
  
Still, is the bustle in the brook -	
Sealed are the spicy valves -	        
Mesmeric fingers softly touch	
The eyes of many Elves -	
  
Perhaps a squirrel may remain -	
My sentiments to share -
Grant me, Oh Lord, a sunny mind -        
Thy windy will to bear!

Born on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts, Emily Dickinson became one of the most influential poets in American history after her death on May 15, 1886.

Throughout her life, she kept to herself. Some considered her a recluse, others eccentric. But it didn’t matter, as writing became the escape from the mundane rituals of daily life. With over 1,800 poems penned, she only shared a handful with family and friends in the letters she wrote. Others who enjoyed her unique style were those who read them in her handmade chapbooks — forty in all.

Her poems centered on her beliefs and what she saw: life and death, nature and spirituality with influence drawn from 17th-century English poets.