emily doesn't live here any more

wednesday i spent most of the day and evening in emily dickinson's garden in amherst massachusetts. i wanted to see if i could catch the spirit of the place. i discovered not to my surprise that emily doesn't live there anymore.

her house is an historical preservation administered by amherst college and the caretakers are more interested in your not touching the precious objects than in emily or who she was. and please no pictures!

to misquote emily, her house|shrine is full of icons of an emily dimly remembered but carefully arranged and rearranged... just so.

emily was a mystery to her peers. and today, with dozens of academics offering their opinions about who she was and what she was about, she is an enigma wrapped in a mystery wrapped in a riddle.

and yes, i have yet another opinion.
emily was a saint of the highest order. up there with julian of norwich and marguerite porette.