Pausing in Amherst

“Next stop,

          Amherst!”

 

I think briefly

of stepping off the train

to breathe her air

and ponder

the grey clouds

that have gathered

 

Would I then be

          inspired?

 

Suddenly

we are rolling

along the tracks

again

 

as the clouds

break

Author's Note

On the train heading to Vermont, there was a brief stop in Amherst, MA. Just wondered if there is something in the air...

Reviews

[Tate Morgan]

Ill say it is a different place to be sure hope you liked it

[Rita L. Sev]

Very much! Thanks for stopping, Tate!

[Lyn Anderson]

To breathe her air -- there are layers under the layers to this. A nice write.

[Rita L. Sev]

It was a brief but meaningful moment... Thank you so much, KL!

[Will]

This is eerie, as Amherst is up at the top of colleges I would love to attend. A great,short, and powerful piece. Awesome work :) glad to come back to such fine work

[Rita L. Sev]

Will! So good to see you again! How cool would it be to go to Amherst? Thank you for your kind comments!

[Damien Thibodeaux]

Ahh, you drew inspiration from the Amherst stop without ever leaving the train. I know the feeling of a place that calls you to stay for a while. I haven't been on a train trip since I was a little boy. You were traveling some beautiful country. Nice write. I can never get enough of reading you.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you so much, Damien. I truly appreciate your kind words! When we got to the stop in Amherst, all I could think about was that we were in Emily Dickinson's neck of the woods...

[kublakhan27]

An intriguing piece, almost like a metaphor for the poet's plight, and the unceasing quest for new and untapped sources of inspiration...I've never been on a train but I've always longed to do so, so this one really captured my imagination...nicely done Rita :)

[Rita L. Sev]

Always hoping to appease the Muse... we were on the train for 8 hours - not too much poetry that day, but my mother and I played a lot of Scrabble. (she won...) ;) Thank you so much, Steve!

[kublakhan27]

Haha Scrabble is fun, even though my mom beats me all the time too...always a pleasure Rita :)

[Pryde Foltz]

Well … you'll never know now. Lovely piece of the winsome.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Pryde.

[Beccy]

Must have been. She wove such beautiful tapestries they surely linger on. Along with Coleridge and Wordsworth, she is a favourite. I expect I'll never get to visit, so I'm grateful you shared this.

Beccy.

[Rita L. Sev]

Someday, perhaps, I will stay for more than just a moment... Thank you, Beccy!

[Lydia Shutter]

Yes, the ghost of Emily was certainly there. Obviously she inspired you to write this poem! I liked this peek into your thoughts, Rita. Lydi**

[Rita L. Sev]

Thanks, Lydi!

[Tomás Ó C..]

I thought on seeing the title it would be about WWI in Belgium, but no, as pleasant a surprise as any it is a "snapshot in time" poem, often the kind I write myself... Enjoyed it.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Tomas - yes, just a brief moment... :)

[Jennie Baron]

Hmm, I'd also love to visit the place where she lived. Short of that, you give me the idea to go back and reread some of her poems. Maybe I can be inspired in that way. And of course your write is also beautiful. It's memorable and sure to become one of my new favorites.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Jennie. :)