Dickinson's "Ample Make this Bed"

Here's a poem that I love. I first heard it in the movie "Sophie's Choice" and found it powerfully moving. Just thought I'd share it here.



AMPLE make this bed.
Make this bed with awe;
In it wait till judgment break
Excellent and fair.

Be its mattress straight,
Be its pillow round;
Let no sunrise' yellow noise
Interrupt this ground.

Emily Dickinson

Some Thoughts on Langston Hughes' "Dream Deferred" - GB Shaw

What happens to dreams deferred?

Do they fester inside? Boil up with anger and resentment? Do dreams deferred, left alone and dead by the side of the road of life begin to rot from the maggots and stink; 'til we can't stand the very thought of these dreams? Awww, have you ever had a dream that you strove for, worked hard for, desired with the very essence of your being, only to find that it wasn't attainable - at least not now? Then you wake up one day to realize that it's probably too late, and you look at those dreams with derision.

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An Irony of Life and Death - GB Shaw

There reside two personae, the public and the private, within each and every person. It is likely that in most cases the public person, the person that is seen walking down the street, interacting with colleagues, friends and family is nearly the same as the private person, the person alone, either in his own head or alone at home in bed. Most people are probably pretty consistent with who they represent themselves to be to others and who they are with themselves. However, because there are certain social norms that we as a society are expected to live by, we may behave in a particular way in public that may not be consistent with how we are feeling on the inside. To that casual friend that asks how we’re doing we may respond with a stock answer, such as “Good, how are you?” when inside we may not be doing well at all; this is just a part of meeting social norms.

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