Emily Finds Her Voice
Sue Casalino Becka Pitts Sean Tyler Jessica Wagner
In a small town called Amherst, Massachusetts lived a shy, curious girl named Emily. Emily went to school with her younger sister, Vinnie. The two of them were very close. Vinnie was very proud of Emily and her talents. She wanted to be a good girl and do what all the other little girls did, but she loved to read and write poetry. Emily did not know any other girls who wrote poetry. Emily was also proud of her talents, but she wished that sometimes she could be more like Vinnie, who was a very outgoing girl.
Emily’s mother was a quiet woman who liked to take care of the house with her sewing and gardening. She did not always understand the love of writing that Emily had. One morning before school, Emily’s mother said to Vinnie, “Vinnie, make sure Emily talks to some of the other girls at school today.” Then she told Emily “Emily, do not lose yourself in that notebook your father gave you.”
Emily did not ignore her mother very often, but when she and Vinnie were at school during a break, she opened up her notebook and began to write down her ideas for her poems. Vinnie turned to her and said, “Emily, I don’t want to have to tell Mother that you’ve done nothing but write all day.” “But you love to read my poems, Vinnie,” Emily said. Emily sat by herself and opened her notebook to keep working on her poem.
Each day after school, Emily and Vinnie walked home together. Today, Emily decided on something different. She was still somewhat sad because of her mother and sister, and she wanted to take a different way home from school.
On her way home, Emily came across a strange looking house. Emily thought there were probably scary things in this house. Yet she was a very curious girl and she couldn’t help but go closer.
Nearby, Emily heard someone speaking with a low voice. She turned towards the sound and was shocked to see the tree outside the house had grown a face and was talking to her!
“Hello, Emily, we see you there, We intend not to scare. I may look frightening with my branches bare But I have many stories to share And many friends to show you things To help you make your poems sing. Enter this house and you will find Creatures who are very kind And you will learn all about How to be brave, how to stand out.�
Emily took the tree’s advice and walked to the door, which opened by itself in front of her. As she entered the foyer of the house, Emily heard the chiming of a grandfather clock.
It chimed four times, and then to Emily’s surprise it opened its eyes!
“Emily, I have lived for so long, My advice is rarely wrong, And even though I may be old, My curiosity has never grown cold. It may be hard to believe All the things you can achieve; When you keep learning every day Nothing will stand in your way.�
Emily walked further into the house and into the kitchen. She saw a spooky creature near the stove.
It had the body of a cat, but it also had wings like a bat. It flapped its wings and flew all around as it talked.
“Flutter, flutter, watch me fly Right before your very eyes. Emily, I was once like you; I couldn’t share what I knew. With some help, I found my voice And I hope you will also make that choice. You have met some new friends And now it has come to an end; Go on your way and always share What’s in your heart and know they care.”
Emily left the house quickly, saying goodbye to the strange creature, the clock, and the tree.
She ran home as fast as she could. She couldn’t wait to tell Vinnie about what happened.
When Emily got back to her house, Vinnie was playing outside. Emily told her everything the tree, the grandfather clock, and the creature said.
By the end, Vinnie was just as excited about the strange house as Emily was.
“Wow! That’s amazing!” Vinnie said. Emily smiled at her sister. Maybe one day she could take Vinnie to see the house and they could meet more friends there.
Emily then went inside to find her mother. She was going to take the creature’s advice and show her mother a poem.
Emily’s mother was sewing in an upstairs room and she let Emily come inside. Emily took out her notebook and bravely read her poem out loud.
After Emily read her poem, her mother smiled at her and gave her a big hug. “Emily, your poem is very nice. I am so proud of you,” Emily’s mother said. Emily was so happy that her mother finally understood her love of writing. Later in the day, her mother said she could write one last poem before bedtime. Emily felt very lucky and happy to be doing what she loved.
The real Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts on December 10, 1830. As a child, her life was filled with reading, school, poetry, nature, and family. She wrote almost 1,100 poems during her late 20’s and 30’s. Later in her life, Emily increasingly withdrew from the public and focused on her garden, her family, and close friends. Most of her poetry remained unpublished until after she died on May 15, 1886. After she died, her sister Vinnie discover 800 poems that Photograph of Emily Dickinson taken in 1847 when she was 16.
Emily had hidden! Now Emily is regarded as one of the greatest poets of the English language.
For more information on Emily Dickinson’s poems and her life, please visit
www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org