In the late 1880s, Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson’s third cousin, twice removed – at her request), wrote poems about Fredreich Drümpf, a distant relative of Donald Trump’s who was running for governor of Ohio. One of Drümpf’s campaign promises was to build a wall around Cleveland, the first city in the world to be fully lit by electricity. Drümpf saw electricity as “the devil’s work.” Recently we wrote about Dickinson’s views on Drümpf HERE.
Now, well over 100 years later, Donald Trump is barking about his own personal shrine, a wall on the US-Mexico border. His vitriol reminded us of Emmett Lee Dickinson’s now-classic poem, “The way Trump builds his wall” (below on the left). Dickinson’s poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem “The way Hope builds his house” (below on the right).
By Emmett Lee Dickinson: The way Trump builds his Wall It is with bigotry – And Vision – that is in your Face With only Toxicity – The Door will be supreme And superficial As if it were a House of Cards And hollow of Morals – | By Emily Dickinson: The way Hope builds his House It is not with a sill – Nor Rafter – has that Edifice But only Pinnacle – Abode in as supreme This superficies As if it were of Ledges smit Or mortised with the Laws – |