Emily Dickinson composed this poem c. 1858 and it was published as 54, in 1891. In one of her letters, Emily wrote what she thinks about a poem, “If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically, as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. These are the only ways I know it. Is there any other way?”
What do you think?
If I should die,
EMILY DICKINSON
And you should live—
And time should gurgle on—
And morn should beam—
And noon should burn—
As it has usual done—
If birds should build as early,
And bees as bustling go—
One might depart at option
From enterprise below!
’Tis sweet to know that stocks will stand
When we with daisies lie—
That commerce will continue—
And trades as briskly fly—
It makes the parting tranquil
And keeps the soul serene—
That gentlemen so sprightly
Conduct the pleasing scene!
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