Theme Park

And now for something completely different.

Did you know that Emily Dickinson is honored on Level 4 of the Poetry Garage at 201 West Madison in Chicago?

That’s right, “Each level represents a culturally significant poet from various historical periods and poetic genres,” and “Sights and sounds of poetry entertain parkers and enable each guests (sic) to remember where to find their car.”  

Info is found HERE. 

Perhaps, “Hope” is the level with open spaces?

In honor of the Poetry Garage, I checked to see if Dickinson ever used the words “parking” (or even “park”) in any of her poems – but no, she never did. She used “lot” in 9 poems, to mean “circumstance” or “fortune” – and once as the nephew of Abraham; son of Abraham's brother Haran in the Old Testament – and she used the word “car” in two poems, referring to the cars of trains.​

Of the two poems that use “car,” one is very famous – her ode to the bee, “Like trains of cars on tracks of plush.”

The other poem with car, “I think the longest Hour of all,” is interesting in that she mentions “Cars” in line 2 and a “Coach” in line 3.  

What do you think is going on in this poem?  

More on this tomorrow.

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Yesterday I mentioned the Poetry Parking Garage in Chicago, IL – Level 4 is in honor of Emily Dickinson – and at the end of the post, I shared Dickinson’s poem “I think the longest Hour of all” and asked, “What do you think is going on in this poem?”

@thereg001 (on Counter Social) commented, “It struck me as if she was referring to a funeral train, particularly for the ending with the violin,” which matches my train of thought to be sure!  (LOL – did you see what I did there!)

I’ve read analyses of this poem with a focus on the exaggeration of time as the speaker is waiting for something/someone in anticipation – “The speaker experiences a distorted perception of time, believing the wait to be interminable. The poem evokes a sense of impatience and unease as the speaker struggles to control their emotions.”

Reminds me of Carly Simon’s song: “Anticipation / Anticipation is making me late / Is keeping me waiting.”

Could it be  “a beloved friend or family member coming for a visit by train. The longest hour would be the wait between the train (the C’ars’) arriving at the station and the arrival home of the coach sent to pick the passenger up”?  After all, that second stanza mentions “Joy.”

For me, though, that first line calls to mind “After great pain, a formal feeling comes,” when – after some considerable experience of grief – one experiences “the hour of lead” – and this poem is about “the longest Hour of all.”

In this poem, “The steps grow thicker,” and in “After great pain, a formal feeling comes,” one’s feet “mechanical, go round / A Wooden way.”

In this poem, the “Cars” are of a train, and in line 3, those waiting anticipate a “Coach” – which, to me, calls to mind a “Carriage,” as in “Because I could not stop for death.”

Now that second stanza is a bit confusing – since Time is indignant “that the Joy has come” – but everything else in the poem points to sadness – especially that final stanza when the speaker of the poem – “my timid service done” – takes up “my little Violin / And further North – remove.”

Is the speaker Dickinson herself?  Is she retreating up to her room (“further North”) to compose a poem about the tragedy?

Just one other thought I had:  This poem was written in 1863.  Is this a poem written in response to the Civil War?  Is this a funeral train transporting a body (or bodies) back home?

I wonder.