Emily Bilman lives and writes in Geneva. Learn more about her at her website.
A Formal Feeling
By Emily Bilman
When we abandoned our tryst, I glimpsed
At Emily Dickinson in her white dress.
We, both, wore the face of melancholy.
Hailstones hit hard the house.
Grief cracked my skin; I grew numb,
Almost a mechanical automaton
Dragged by a dirge, sung by house-
Trolls, strolling, cracking the doors.
After the deep pain, came the austere
Feeling, making me righteous as a rock.
A poem about Emily D as written and felt by Emily B. I kind of saw this one as an Ekphrasis of that iconic photo we always see of Emily Dickinson, looking austere and always slightly jarring and uncomfortable. Like a poet Emily B uses her own empathy, imagination, and figurative language to create a story and mood that preceded such a photograph, such an expression. Thanks for sharing!