I once checked a book of Emily Dickinson poems out of the library. My husband informed me that all of her poems could be sung to "The Yellow Rose of Texas." Since she used the same meter in her poems, it is, sadly, true. After he flipped through the book and sang random poems to the tune of "Yellow Rose," we had a good laugh. I admit this discovery did take some of the charm out of her poetry, but here is a Dickinson poem that I have always liked. I hope you like it, too!
Light over the canyon wall, Grand Wash, Capitol Reef National Park
"There's a Certain Slant of Light"
There's a certain slant of light,
On winter afternoons,
That oppresses, like the weight
Of cathedral tunes.
Heavenly hurt it gives us;
We can find no scar,
But internal difference
Where the meanings are.
None may teach it anything,
'Tis the seal, despair,-
An imperial affliction
Sent us of the air.
When it comes, the landscape listens,
Shadows hold their breath;
When it goes, 't'is like the distance
On the look of death.
--Emily Dickinson
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