Emily Dickinson is one of my most favorite poets. I love all of her poems, but one of my favorites is; "Heaven is what I cannot reach". I absolutely love this poem because it is so simple but has so much meaning. The title tells what the whole poem is about, not being able to reach heaven. My favorite part of the poem is in the second line when it says "The Apple on the Tree". Dickinson is comparing heaven to an apple on the tree. Sometimes you cannot reach the apple when it is up on a high branch.
"Heaven"—is what I cannot reach!
The Apple on the Tree—
Provided it do hopeless—hang—
That—"Heaven" is—to Me!
The Color, on the Cruising Cloud—
The interdicted Land—
Behind the Hill—the House behind—
There—Paradise—is found!
Her teasing Purples—Afternoons—
The credulous—decoy—
Enamored—of the Conjuror—
That spurned us—Yesterday!
I like this poem also, but I think I have a slightly different interpretation of it.
ReplyDeleteI think at first she is stating that Heaven seems to be unreachable; perhaps the way that many of us (people in general) feel when they loose a loved one. We assume that our loved one is waiting for us in Heaven, but we are not able to just hop into our care and drive to visit them for the weekend. We are separated from them for the remaining time of our own lives.
However, as the poem goes on, I see that perhaps the every-day beauty to be found in life is being seen as a glimpse of Heaven. the beauty is still beyond her reach, but it is surrounding her at the same time.
I really love your comparison of the Apple on the tree to Heaven. That got me thinking that even though you can not reach it from the ground, you will eventually we will reach the Apple just like eventually we will reach Heaven.
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