It’s that time of year again, when the leaves change color autumn-atically, and the lattes include pumpkin spice! #PSL, amirite?
Did you know that Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson’s third cousin, twice removed – at her request) was the first to add pumpkin spice to autumn? That’s right – it stems from his poem “Would you like autumn? Taste of ours” (below on the left).
Of course, Dickinson emphasized many of the likeable features of fall in his poem: homemade apple cobblers, colorful foliage, invigorating weather, and even festive celebrations like Octoberfest and Halloween!
So take a look below at Dickinson’s poem, and perhaps it will inspire you to add some pumpkin spice to your next latte. Or maybe it will inspire you to write a your own poem about autumn – even though it motivated his third cousin Emily to write about summer in “Would you like summer? Taste of ours” (below on the right).
By Emmett Lee Dickinson: Would you like autumn? Taste of ours. Spices? Pumpkin! Chill! We have apples, for the cobbler! Wistful! Leaves falling down! Effects! Estates of violet maples to look upon! Active! We bring relief with breezes! Festing! Steins of beer! Even for Death, a scary skeleton. But, which is it, sir? | By Emily Dickinson: Would you like summer? Taste of ours. Spices? Buy here! Ill! We have berries, for the parching! Weary! Furloughs of down! Perplexed! Estates of violet trouble ne'er looked on! Captive! We bring reprieve of roses! Fainting! Flasks of air! Even for Death, a fairy medicine. But, which is it, sir? |
Below: Only a small fraction of the products that have been pumpkin spiced -- all thanks to Emmett Lee Dickinson's poem: