The Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum - PLOG: Poetry Blog

The Sky Is Falling

5/27/2018

From Jim Asher, the world's leading authority on Emmett Lee Dickinson, Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request:

I’ve been taking a picture of the sky every day this year. You can see my daily sky pics on Instagram: @daily_sky_pic. I’ve also posted a few pics here on the ELD Musuem plog (poetry blog) along with some poems about the sky by Emily Dickinson. Previous posts are HERE and HERE.

As I was planning this post to highlight recent pictures of the sky and an additional poem, I discovered that the poem I selected, “It troubled me as once I was,” is featured in the current edition of The Emily Dickinson Journal (volume XXVII, Number 1, 2018). In his article “Q.E.D.: What Emily Dickinson Did With Her Mathematics Books,” Thomas L. Moore discussed the very same poem. Yes, the poem is about the sky, but it also includes references to mathematics.

If as a child you ever wondered how gravity could pull everything down except the sky, I think you will enjoy the poem – and we’ll have plenty of time later to solve the larger problems. For now, just enjoy Dickinson’s poem, and then go outside and look at the sky.

By Emily Dickinson:

It troubled me as once I was –
For I was once a Child –
Concluding how an atom – fell –
And yet the Heavens – held –

The Heavens weighed the most – by far –
Yet Blue – and solid – stood –
Without a Bolt – that I could prove –
Would Giants – understand?

Life set me larger – problems –
Some I shall keep – to solve
Till Algebra is easier –
Or simpler proved – above –

Then – too – be comprehended –
What sorer – puzzled me –
Why Heaven did not break away –
And tumble – Blue – on me –

Below: Recent skies in the month of May:

Do You Hear What I Hear?

5/17/2018

From our entertainment editor Qwerty Lee Dickinson:

Surely by now you’ve heard about the Yanny vs. Laurel debate sweeping the internet? It’s the biggest controversy to rock the world wide web since the blue vs. white dress. The current argument centers on an audio clip where some people hear the word “Yanny” while others swear they hear “Laurel.” Information about the dispute is HERE.

The Yanny/Laurel debate, though, is nothing new. As a matter of fact, the controversy has been around since the late 1800s when Emmett Lee Dickinson’s sister Pythagoria named two of her seventeen children Yanny and Laurel. Dickinson noticed that whenever Pythagoria would call for Yanny, Laurel would show up, and whenever she would call for Laurel, Yanny would come.

Dickinson wrote a brief poem about the phenomenon, “Say this Laurel on your own” (below on the left). His poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem “Lay this Laurel on the One” (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

Say this Laurel on your Own
A linguistic Phenomenon –
Yanny – fill your deafless ear –
If you listen, you will Hear!

By Emily Dickinson:

Lay this Laurel on the One
Too intrinsic for Renown –
Laurel – veil your deathless tree –
Him you chasten, that is He!

Pictured below, left to right: Emmett Lee Dickinson's sister Pythagoria and two of her seventeen children, Yanny (or Laurel) and Laurel (or Yanny).

Fan Mail

5/13/2018

From our Exceutive Director for Development and Expansion, Emerson Nettles

We received two very kind notes from an Emmett Lee Dickinson fan named Ricardo recently. The first asked about the possibility of visiting the ELD Museum (above the coin-op Laundromat) on Dickinson Boulevard in historic Washerst, PA (the birthplace of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request):

"I love your website! I've been an Emily Dickinson fan for many years, and have visited Amherst numerous times, but would really like to visit Washerst. Since I live in Pennsylvania it would be an easy and enjoyable jaunt. Please let me know the museum hours, and also if I can bring a load of laundry along."

Alas, Ricardo, a visit to the museum is impossible as it burned to the ground on New Year's Eve 2015. For details, click the image at the right to enlarge. Additional details are HERE.

There is some good news though: we are planning to rebuild. Details about our rebuilding campaign are HERE and HERE.

Soon we hope to give an update on our funding drive to rebuild the museum.

A few days later, Ricardo followed up his original message with this:

"Howdy, Just an addendum to my last email: upon a revisit to your site, I tell you that it is a doggone great site, and I feel strongly that Emily D. would approve. She would be chuckling herself silly, and probably going next door to her sister-in-law's insisting that they fire up Sue's computer and visit the site!"

We could not agree more! Emily Dickinson loved her third cousin's sense of humor as much as she loved his poetry, and it was not uncommon for her to "chuckle herself silly" as she read his poetry. Below is the text from an 1855 letter from Emily to Emmett Lee:

Dearest Emmett Lee - it is cold tonight, but the thought of your humor is so warm, that I sit by it as a fireside, and am never cold any more. I love to read your poetry - it gives my heart a holiday and sets the bells to ringing. I literally chuckle myself silly. If prayers had any answers to them, you would be here to-night, but I seek and I don't find. I keep wishing for you, keeping shutting up my eyes and looking toward the sky, asking with all my might for you, and yet you do not come.

Vinnie and I talked of you as we sewed, this afternoon. I said - "how far he seems from us," but Vinnie answered me "only a little way"... “he is present in every titter, in every giggle, in every laugh.”

Please remember us. Write us very soon, and tell us how you are...
Affectionately,
Emily.

Thank you, Ricardo, for your kind words! We hope that you continue to enjoy our site, and we will let you know when the new museum will be open for visits!

Lobster Tale

4/19/2018

From our entertainment editor Qwerty Lee Dickinson:

Did you see Saturday Night Live last Saturday (04/14/18)? We have been inundated with inquiries ever since the "Lobster Les Mis" skit aired on the show: "Was a poem by Emmett Lee Dickinson the inspiration for the skit?" Yes, Dickinson's poem "To dine -- within the Diner," a short poem about a time Dickinson noted that the extensive menu at Big Nick's Greek Diner in Washerst, PA (the birthplace of Emmett Lee Dickinson), was the inspiration for the sketch.

Below: Scene's from SNL's Lobster Les Misérables.

Below left: Emmett Lee Dickinson's "To dine -- within the Diner," the inspiration for SNL's Lobster Les Misérables.

Below right: Dickinson's poem also inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "To die -- without the Dying."

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

To dine – within the Diner
And live – without the Lobster
This is the hardest Miracle
Confounded by the Choices.

By Emily Dickinson:

To die – without the Dying
And live – without the Life
This is the hardest Miracle
Propounded to Belief.

Stark Raven MD -- Part 2

4/5/2018

From Dorothy "Lottie" Dawe, Chair of the Dickinson Organization of Poetry Enthusiasts:

Board members from the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum and the Dickinson Organization of Poetry Enthusiasts visited Baltimore this past weekend to begin planning with city officials for a bicentennial event coming in 2023 – the 200th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s and Emmett Lee Dickinson’s first appearance as the comedy duo “Izzy Sharp & Moe” at the Calvert Street Theatre.

Information and photos from the first half of our tour (Stark Raven MD – Part 1) are HERE.

Following our visit to the Peabody Library, we toured the Domino Sugar Factory, where Emmett Lee Dickinson first received sugar when he invented his candy creation Candy Corn, the world’s most popular candy.

Below left & right: Pics of Domino Sugars, Baltimore.

After the tour of the sugar factory, we stopped by the Bromo Seltzer clock tower. Emmett Lee Dickinson’s friend Isaac Emerson invented the medication to treat stomach ailments brought on by excessive intake of candy corn, the world’s most popular candy.

Below & Left: The Bromo Seltzer Clock Tower

Below: The clock tower used to include a replica of a Bromo Seltzer bottle; however, it was removed in 1936 because of structural concerns. Click the images to enlarge.

Like his friend Issac Emerson, Emmett Lee Dickinson also developed many medicines. Details are HERE.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed coffee, Emmett Lee Dickinson’s favorite drink, at the Daily Grind at Fell’s Point.

Below: The Daily Grind.

No poet has written more poetry about coffee than Emmett Lee Dickinson. Check out some of his coffee poetry HERE.

In the evening, we dined in Baltimore's Little Italy to pay homage to the fact that Italians LOVE Emmett Lee Dickinson like the French love Jerry Lewis (info HERE). We had dinner at La Scala and dessert (homemade cannolis) and after-dinner drinks at Café Gia – and both establishments were excellent!

Below: Scenes from Baltimore's Little Italy.

Below: La Scala

Below: Cafe Gia

Of course, no visit to Baltimore would be complete without a visit to the Emmett Lee Dickinson National Aquarium. Many people do not realize that the aquarium is named after Emmett Lee Dickinson in honor of his time as Chief Ichthyologist for Johns Hopkins University where he studied bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha).

Below: The Emmett Lee Dickinson National Aquarium at Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Below left: A few scenes from inside the aquarium. Below right: Pics from the jellyfish exhibit.

Below left: A photo of three professors from Johns Hopkins who were instrumental in planning for the Emmett Lee Dickinson National Aquarium to be in Baltimore. On the left is Giles Gride, a world renowned taxidermist who developed modern methods of fish taxidermy. On the right is Shelby Kedgegick Paul who pioneered new systems and procedures for filleting fish. Standing next to him is his wife, Mrs. Paul, who developed ways to cut filleted fish into "sticks."

Below center: In 1853, Emmett Lee Dickinson developed a method by which aquariums could clean fish tanks from the inside. The method is still used to this day at the National Aquarium.

Below right: Emmett Lee Dickinson invented the "snow glow," and there were many on sale in the National Aquarium's gift shop!

Below: Miscellaneous shots from around Baltimore.

Stark Raven MD -- Part 1

4/4/2018

From Dorothy "Lottie" Dawe, the chair of the Dickinson Organization of Poetry Enthusiasts:

Board members from the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum and the Dickinson Organization of Poetry Enthusiasts visited Baltimore, Maryland, this past weekend to begin planning a huge event that will occur in Baltimore in 2023 -- the 200th anniversary of Dickinson's first performance with Edgar Allan Poe as the comedy duo "Izzy Sharp and Moe," a landmark event in the fields of entertainment and poetry.

In 1823, Edgar Allan Poe played banjo, sang comical songs, and told blue jokes under the name of Izzy Sharp at the Calvert Street Theatre on South Calvert Street in Baltimore. He later convinced his friend Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) that he needed a partner, and the two formed the comedy duo of Izzy Sharp and Moe. They were the first comedy team to tell "Why did the chicken cross the road?" and "Waiter, there's a fly in my soup" jokes.

Above: Baltimore's Calvert Street Theatre, where Poe and Dickinson performed as "Izzy Sharp & Moe." The building is now a Walgreens. Below left and right: Memorabilia from the 1800s: an antique postcard from the Calvert Street Theatre, and a theatre placard announcing a special morning performance by Poe and Dickinson.

Below: One of our first stops on our tour of Baltimore was the Westminster Church cemetery, the final resting place of Dickinson's comedy partner, Edgar Allan Poe.

Below: Additional shots from the Westminster Church cemetery. Right: A list of who is buried in the cemetery (click the image to enlarge).

Below: The city of Baltimore is sparing no expense for the bicentennial event in 2023. The Poe House at 203 North Amity Street is currently closed, and it is being completely restored for the event. Click the notice at the left to enlarge.

Below: The next stop on our tour was the stunning George Peabody Library, formerly known as the Library of the Peabody Institute of the City of Baltimore. The Peabody Library is now a 19th-century focused research library for The Johns Hopkins University, and it contains rare volumes of work by both Emily and Emmett Lee Dickinson.

Below: The library's card catalog led us to rare volumes of poetry by both Emily and Emmett Lee Dickinson. Click the image in the center to enlarge.

Below right: In anticipation of the event -- which is expected to draw the biggest crowds in the city's history -- Baltimore has already installed a massive plinth in the Wyman Park Dell -- just across from the Baltimore Museum of Art -- where a statue honoring Dickinson and Poe will stand.

For more information/pics of our trip to Baltimore, click HERE.

Near Enough

4/3/2018

A delegation from the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum and the Dickinson Organization Poetry Enthusiasts went to the "March for Our Lives" on March 24th, and though we were near enough to the stage, we were far enough that we had to watch the jumbo-tron to see the program. The main stage was at 3rd and Pennsylvania Avenue, and we found space (among close to a million people) at 6th and Pennsylvania.

From the opening notes of "Rise Up" sung by Andra Day to the final good-byes, the entire program was very meaningful and extremely moving. Each and every speaker -- ranging from nine-year-olds to nineteen-year-olds -- was effective, eloquent, and real -- and as evidenced by the vicious and sickening attacks on them by the NRA, the conservative press, and the 2A trolls, it is clear that these young people are making a difference.

Check out many of our pictures from the event below. On the left: The main stage was very near the Newseum with the first amendment displayed on the exterior of the building.

Below left and right: Donald Trump fled Washington in fear for Nightmar-a-lago for the weekend. However, before he left, and and bro-friend Vlad Putin installed an Impenetrable Cyber Security Unit outside the National Gallery of Art -- near the main stage of the March for Our Lives -- so they could monitor the event and the speeches (click the images to enlarge).

Below: The main stage was in the shadow of the Capitol at the intersection of 3rd and Pennsylvania Avenue. The area nearest the stage was full when we arrived, so we planted ourselves at 6th and Pennsylvania.

Below: Of course, one of the most emotional moments of the event came when Emma Gonzalez spoke and stood in silence for six minutes and twenty seconds -- the length of time the mass murderer roamed the halls of her school.

Read more of our coverage about the "March for Our Lives" by clicking on "Enough" in our plog (poetry blog) archive (on the right).

A few miscellaneous shots: Above: To get to Pennsylvania Ave, we walked passed many of the offices of NRA-owned GOP senators and congressmen (shown to the left in the photo). Below left: Fortunately, event planners thought ahead to include an Emergency Egress Lane. Below right: We were pleased to find that there were poets nearby -- working as busboys.

November 2018: Vote Them Out.

Make Easter Great Again?

4/1/2018

From our art columnist Jarvis MacKinnon III:

We've all seen Melania Trump's 2017 White House Christmas cards (HERE) and her collection of 2018 Valentines (HERE), but have you seen her Easter cards for 2018? Methinks Melania is not a happy camper these days.

The Man Who Invented Easter

4/1/2018

A special post by guest holiday editor Martha Stewart:

Many people call Charles Dickens "the man who invented Christmas," noting that many of our current traditions during the holiday season can be traced back to Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and other writings. When it comes to Easter, a similar claim can be made about Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request), "the man who invented Easter."

Dickinson wrote many poems about Easter -- and many, too, about "Peeps" (information HERE), the holiday treat invented by Emily Dickinson's sister Lavinia -- but one poem in particular, "To Dye -- takes just a little while," is frequently cited as the definitive Easter poem because it mentions multiple traditions associated with the holiday: Easter eggs, Easter bonnets, the Easter Parade, Easter baskets -- and Peeps!

Have ever wondered why an Easter Bunny delivers eggs on Easter? This tradition can be traced back to 1866 when Easter fell on April Fools Day.

Emmett Lee Dickinson -- the creator of April Fools Day -- thought it would be funny to play a prank on his daughter Qwerty. He took eggs from his chicken coop, painted them different colors, and then hid them in the hutch of his daughter's pet rabbit. Qwerty was delighted to discover the eggs on Easter morning, and Dickinson told her that they were a treat from the Easter Bunny. This story spread across the nation like wild fire, and in subsequent years, parents began painting and hiding eggs "from the Easter Bunny" for their children.

This tradition opens the first stanza in Dickinson's seminal Easter poem "To dye -- takes just a little while" (below on the left). Dickinson's poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "To die -- take just a little while" (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

To dye – takes just a little while –
Eggs dry and some are bright –
Some only fainter – by degrees –
Then hide – them out of sight –

A drape of Ribbon – for the Day –
With Crape upon the Hat –
And then the pretty sunshine comes –
And we parade in that –

The Easter – basket -- feature
The bunny leaves for us –
Has loads of peeps – and chocolate treats –
With naught but happiness –

By Emily Dickinson:

To die – takes just a little while –
They say it doesn't hurt –
It's only fainter — by degrees –
And then – it's out of sight –

A darker Ribbon – for a Day –
A Crape upon the Hat –
And then the pretty sunshine comes –
And helps us to forget –

The absent – mystic – creature –
That but for love of us –
Had gone to sleep – that soundest time –
Without the weariness –

The Body Politic

3/26/2018

From our current affairs editor Lemuel Stewart III:

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt sang “The Story of Tonight” at last Saturday’s “March for Our Lives,” but the lyrics that came to my mind at the march were from Hamilton’s “My Shot”: “This is not a moment, it’s the movement.” It also seems to me that the teen architects of this common-sense-gun-control movement might just be the answer to all of those “thoughts and prayers” offered up by Republicans after each and every massacre with an AR-15.

Some have suggested, though, that the answer is to arm teachers. Can you imagine that?

Can you picture sweet Mrs. Crawford from Room 7 at Mountain View Elementary School ordering her kids to hunker down behind a fortress of flipped desks and filing cabinets as she prepares to roam the hallways in search of a killer?

“You kids stay put and stay quiet. I’ll be back soon. Emma and Harper, you keep the group quiet. Noah, you and Logan barricade the door behind me. Vickie, you pass out the rocks.”

Yes, rocks.

It seems that another solution to the license for mass murder is to provide classrooms with tubs of river rocks so that children can pelt armed intruders. I am not making this stuff up.

Rick Santorum’s solution to protect weapons of war on the street? Students should learn first aid and CPR so they can perform triage on their maimed and mutilated classmates.

Santorum’s outrageous answer to school shootings called to mind Emmett Lee Dickinson’s poem “I felt his life with both my hands” (below on the left). Dickinson's poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "I felt my life with both my hands" (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

I felt his life with both my hands
To see if it was there –
I held a mirror to his Breath,
To prove if there was air –

I pumped his Being down and down
And paused at every pound
I checked the Owner’s heart –
With doubt, that I should hear the sound –

I judged his features – jarred his face –
I pushed his body by, and waited –
If he – showed a sign –
Conviction might, of me –

They told us all, “Take Courage, Friends –
That – in some future time –
If you’d just learn to do CPR
Some might just make it Home”!

By Emily Dickinson:

I felt my life with both my hands
To see if it was there –
I held my spirit to the Glass,
To prove it possibler –

I turned my Being round and round
And paused at every pound
To ask the Owner's name –
For doubt, that I should know the sound –

I judged my features – jarred my hair –
I pushed my dimples by, and waited –
If they – twinkled back –
Conviction might, of me –

I told myself, "Take Courage, Friend –
That – was a former time –
But we might learn to like the Heaven,
As well as our Old Home”!