Get it all out in writing

Poor Emily Dickinson. She was so sad and lonely, so very tired and morbid. Did you know she lived to be 55? For some reason I thought she'd died in early adulthood, though in retrospect I guess it would be hard to write nearly 1,800 poems in such a short time.

For most of her 55 years, Emily Dickinson chose to live in isolation. She thought about death a lot, and she wrote about death a lot. I wonder whether she fed these dark thoughts by writing so much about them, or whether writing about them gave her comfort. I hope it was the latter.

I'm not all that fond of Emily Dickinson's work, though I do like this poem.

I think I've figured out why some people like poetry. It's less traumatic than straight prose. It's less of an assault to see something through a blurry lens than it is to stare directly at it. It leaves room for interpretation. It's indefinite.

So, I guess I understand this, but it's really not my style. I prefer a harder, keener approach. I prefer a long letter that states things directly, even if my words aren't welcome. For me, it's the best way to package my thoughts or feelings, and then say goodbye to them.

The truth is, Emily Dickinson is a punchline.