From our 19th century historian Eudora Dickinson:
In the late 1800s, Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson’s third cousin, twice removed – at her request) wrote a cryptic poem about “him with an orange face,” and it defied analysis. For years, Dickinson scholars discussed and debated the meaning of the poem. Curiously, though, after the election and inauguration of Donald Trump, the poem takes on greater meaning -- and certainly even more significance after 500,000+ women, men and children gathered the day after Trump's inauguration for the Women’s March on Washington in Washington, D.C.
I attended the march with other staff members from the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum, and in the sea of signs at the march, I saw a small, simple sign that said it all: “Silence = Guilt.” It reminded me of Dickinson's enigmatic poem, and as members of “Poets Against Trump" and "Writers Resist,” Dorothy Dawe, the museums political correspondent, and I have not been silent. When you have time, check out our Trump coverage: posts with poetry are HERE; other posts without poetry are HERE.
In the late 1800s, Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson’s third cousin, twice removed – at her request) wrote a cryptic poem about “him with an orange face,” and it defied analysis. For years, Dickinson scholars discussed and debated the meaning of the poem. Curiously, though, after the election and inauguration of Donald Trump, the poem takes on greater meaning -- and certainly even more significance after 500,000+ women, men and children gathered the day after Trump's inauguration for the Women’s March on Washington in Washington, D.C.
I attended the march with other staff members from the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum, and in the sea of signs at the march, I saw a small, simple sign that said it all: “Silence = Guilt.” It reminded me of Dickinson's enigmatic poem, and as members of “Poets Against Trump" and "Writers Resist,” Dorothy Dawe, the museums political correspondent, and I have not been silent. When you have time, check out our Trump coverage: posts with poetry are HERE; other posts without poetry are HERE.
| Dickinson’s poem (below on the left), of course, inspired us to support the women's march. It also inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem “Silence is all we dread" (below on the right). We hope that these two poems (and/or any other of Dickinson’s poems – either Emmett Lee’s or Emily’s) will inspire you to lift your voice! Silence is all we dread! Pictured at the right: Emily Dickinson: "Truth is so rare that it is delightful to tell it." Truth is, indeed, very rare with our new administration. |  |
| By Emmett Lee Dickinson: Silence is all we dread. There’s Power in a Voice – But Silence is infinity To him with an orange face. | By Emily Dickinson: Silence is all we dread. There’s Ransom in a Voice – But Silence is infinity. Himself have not a face |
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