If you could meet Emily Dickinson, what dialogue would you have?

Encounters in the Heart of History — A Dialogue with Emily Dickinson

A quiet imaginary conversation about hope, memory, and the meaning of unseen presence across time

Illustration by the author — Emily Dickinson and me in conversation across time

I: I framed the poem in which hope is compared to an ever-singing bird, along with a picture of a goldfinch, and hung it on the wall.

Emily: I like that poem too. Hope is likened to a bird whose song does not stop in calm or storm, in cold or heat. And more importantly, that bird never asks for even a crumb of bread.

I: For me, that bird of hope was my mother, whose voice of kindness was always without demand.

— During our conversation, the sound of a crow was heard —

I (jokingly): Sometimes I think if that bird were a crow that sings, I would truly lose hope.

Emily (laughing): Then the crow must have a lot of hope to live so long. Maybe because it specializes in taking valuable objects. Just the other day, it took my bracelet from the window.

I: Then I guess I should add a picture of the crow in the new frame.

Emily: With the same bracelet in its beak.

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