Poetic inspiration

There's a certain slant of light,
On winter afternoons,
That oppresses, like the weight
Of cathedral tunes.

Heavenly hurt it gives us;
We can find no scar,
But internal difference
Where the meanings are.

None may teach it anything,
'Tis the seal, despair,-
An imperial affliction
Sent us of the air.

When it comes, the landscape listens,
Shadows hold their breath;
When it goes, 't is like the distance
On the look of death.

-Emily Dickinson

I first read this poem in middle school, for Mrs. Rozenboom's English class. Everyone had to do a presentation on a poet, and I picked Emily Dickinson. I chose Dickinson partially because she was female and I was going through a feminist phase, but mostly because I was drawn to her writing. Her poetry is both hopeful and sad, a powerful mix of emotions that spoke to my middle school self.

I encountered this poem again in college on an English interim trip in New England. I don't remember exactly where we were, but it was an upstairs room. It was mid-January and as the group of us stood around our professors, a ray of sunshine suddenly streamed in through the window, casting a slanted light beam on the floor. Professor Fondse paused, then started to recite this poem. The visual image with the spoken words transfixed us all.

I live in the Midwest, so I am all too familiar with the weather references in this poem. I know what it's like to endure a cold, gray winter day and enjoy a warm ray of sunshine.

I also know what it's like to go through dark situations in life, the oppressive weight on your shoulders. But then there's a certain slant of light...

And no matter how many ways I encounter it, I am always inspired by and thankful for those slants of light.