By Emmett Lee Dickinson: The first of April had come – And grateful for the thing Some mischievous – to be endured – It got my Soul to sing – With normalcy I'd act – And go – about my way And so to trick them – gave me work Throughout the playful Day – And then – a Prank as huge As ones from prior years, Unrolled it's humor in my face – Until it blurred my eyes – My brain – begun to laugh – I mumbled – April fool – And tho' 'tis Years ago – that Day – My Brain keeps giggling – still. And Something's odd – with me – For this is what I wish – That every day – were April Fools – Could it be Madness – this? | By Emily Dickinson: The first Day's Night had come – And grateful that a thing So terrible – had been endured – I told my Soul to sing – She said her Strings were snapt – Her Bow – to Atoms blown – And so to mend her – gave me work Until another Morn – And then – a Day as huge As Yesterdays in pairs, Unrolled its horror in my face – Until it blocked my eyes – My Brain – begun to laugh – I mumbled – like a fool – And tho' 'tis Years ago – that Day – My Brain keeps giggling – still. And Something's odd – within – That person that I was – And this One – do not feel the same – Could it be Madness – this? |
April Fools' Day is linked directly to Emmett Lee Dickinson, Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request. Here's the story in a CNN news feature: One of Dickinson's now-classic poems is all about April Fool's Day, "The first of April had come" (below on the left). His poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "The first Day's Night had come" (below on the right).
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The Twitterverse has been abuzz lately all because a couple of birds -- one that landed on a podium at a Sanders' rally, and another at an event for Trump. As a result, birds have been covered by the media more than when Alfred Hitchcock released his magnum opus about the creatures. All of the news coverage and the multitude of Twitter tweets reminded us of a now-classic poem by Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) called " Upon his Lectern sprung a Bird" (below on the left). His poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "Upon his Saddle sprung a Bird" (below on the right).
Happy Easter everyone -- we hope you got some high-quality chocolates and jelly beans from that rascally Easter rabbit! Of course, Easter would not be what it is today were it not for Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). * Dickinson invented that plastic grass used in Easter baskets (a picture of the Dickinson Easter Grass Factory in Washerst, PA, is pictured on this page). * He perfected Lavinia Dickinson's invention of the marshmallow peep. Information is HERE. * He invented that wire egg-dipper used in Easter egg dye kits. * He wrote more poems about Easter than any other poet. One of his now-classic poems about Easter, "The Dying need but little, Dear" (below on the left). His poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem with the same opening line (below on the right).
Dickinson's poem "Not at home to Callers" (below on the left) inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem by the same name (below on the right).
For more of Dickinson's poetry on "March Madness," click HERE. Have you heard Meghan Trainor's latest hit "No"? Did you know that it's based on a poem by Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). As a teen, Trainor attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in North Eastham, Massachusetts, because her parents knew that she would receive the best possible education at ELD. She attended the school as "Marcus Trainor." While at the school, "Marcus" served as the captain of the rugby team, participated on the school's award-winning debate and grammar teams, and learned to play the guitar and tuba. She also fell in love with the poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson. Below left: Meghan Trainor's yearbook picture at the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys as "Marcus Trainor." Below right: The Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in North Eastham, Massachusetts. Trainor's favorite poem by Dickinson is "I laughed in Pity -- not in Pain" (below on the left). Dickinson's poem inspired third-cousin Emily to pen her poem "I cried at Pity -- not at Pain" (below on the right).
Meghan Trainor based the lyrics of her new hit "No" (some of which are below) on Emmett Lee Dickinson's poem (above on the left) -- especially the second-to-last stanza. NO
I think it's so cute and I think it's so sweet How you let your friends encourage you to try and talk to me But let me stop you there, oh, before you speak Nah to the ah to the no, no, no My name is no, my sign is no, my number is no You need to let it go, you need to let it go Need to let it go Nah to the ah to the, no, no, no My name is no, my sign is no, my number is no You need to let it go, you need to let it go Need to let it go Nah to the ah to the no, no, no Just when you thought politics couldn't get any lower, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz proved that we haven't hit rock bottom yet! The two are now locked in a middle-school battle over their wives.
We suspect that we haven't seen nor heard the last from Trump or Cruz on this brouhaha. To be honest, the kerfuffle reminds us of an epic freestyle rap battle where the participants battle with "yo momma" jokes -- only the clash this time is about their wives. However, did you know that "yo momma" jokes date back to the late 1800s? The phrase "yo momma" can be traced back to Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). He used it for the first time in his now-classic poem "When Nature laughs -- yo momma must" (below on the left). Dickinson's poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "If Nature smiles -- the Mother must" (below on the right).
The Peeps Parade in Amherst, Massachusetts, is a world-renowned annual commemoration of the celebrated creation of Lavinia Dickinson’s, the peep (information about her invention of the peep is HERE). As a matter of fact, Parade Magazine lists Amherst’s yearly pageant as one of the top parades in the world. The publication lists the “Top Ten Parades, Pageants, and Processions” as the following: * Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade * North Korea’s Armament Extravaganza and Worker’s Party Glorious Observation of Kim Jong Un * The Annual Peeps Parade in Amherst, MA * The Tournament of Rose’s Rose Parade * Croaker, Drum and Sucker Season Parade and Cavalcade in Ithaca, NY * The Greater-Omaha Grammar Fest Parade * Parade of the Librarians in Washington, D.C. on Cow Appreciation Day (info HERE) * Chicago’s Pothole Festival Parade * Amarillo, Texas’ Prison Band Jamboree * The Lawn and Land Care Association’s Lawn Mower Parade in Columbus, OH. In addition to the annual festivity in Amherst, Peeps are also celebrated in many poems by Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson’s third cousin, twice removed – at her request). One of his most acclaimed peep poems is “Spring comes on the World” (below on the left). Dickinson’s poem inspired third-cousin Emily to pen her poem with the same opening line (below on the right).
For more information on Dickinson's poetry and Lavinia Dickinson's peeps, click HERE.
The peeps exist in spring -- thanks to Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). Yes, while it is true that Emily Dickinson's sister Lavinia invented the peep, they were perfected by Emmett Lee Dickinson (information is HERE). Every spring, the Washington Post sponsors a "peep diorama" contest, and this year, the contest is in its 10th year -- information on the "10th Anniversary Edition" is HERE. There used to be another major national peeps event , a peeps eating contest, sponsored each year in Washerst, PA (the birthplace of Emmett Lee Dickinson), but that annual competition was cancelled for good after just a few years because it was deemed to be "too dangerous" -- many of the contestants died during or shortly after the contests from asphyxiation, significant upper and lower GI blockages, and distended bowels (what doctors have identified and termed as "mallow bowels").
Did you know that Peeps were invented by Lavinia Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's younger sister)? However, they were improved and perfected by Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). Pictured below at the left: Lavinia Dickinson loved eating marshmallow laced with pepper, so her original concept was for a treat called "Pepps," marshmallow chicks encrusted with hot black pepper. Pictured below at the right: Emmett Lee Dickinson convinced Lavinia to substitute sugar for the pepper, and he suggested a name change from "Pepps" to "Peeps," in honor of a local sugar miner named Buford Patterson Peeps. "Peeps" were immortalized in Emmett Lee Dickinson's now classic poem "Spring is the Period" (below on the left). His poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem with the same first line (below on the right).
Truth be told, when Palin brayed her support of Trump's take on the punk-ass little thuggery stuff , she was actually just quoting lines from a poem by Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). Way back in the 1860s, there was a Republican campaign as cray-cray as the current one, and Rufina Permelia Heath, distant kin to Sarah Palin (Rufina was the daughter of Sarah Palin's great-great-great-great-grandfather, Lafayette Bonzo Heath), endorsed one Reginald Remington Trump (information is HERE). Rufina Heath also supported Trump's call for violence against anyone who questioned his assertions and proclamations. Dickinson heard Rufina Heath rile up a crowd at a rally, and he immortalized her bombast in a poem called "The Just Desserts of that petty, punk-ass little Thuggery Stuff" (below on the left). Dickinson's poem inspired third-cousin Emily to pen her poem "The Sweets of Pillage" (below on the right).
Yes, folks, I'm afraid we have fallen through the rabbit hole, and we have entered Wonderland!
Why, just today, a prominent Trump supporter declared on CNN that if trouble were to break out at a brokered convention, “riots aren’t necessarily a bad thing.” I can just hear Palin barking in a shrill, loud voice, "Off with their heads!" |
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December 2023
PLOGA poetry log for the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum (above the coin-op Laundromat on Dickinson Boulevard in historic Washerst, Pennsylvania). Categories
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