Emily Dickinson and Elvis Presley in Heaven
By: Hans Ostrom
They call each other “E”. Elvis picks
wildflowers near the river and brings
them to Emily. She explains half-rhymes to him.
In heaven Emily wears her hair long, sports
Levis and western blouses with rhinestones.
Elvis is lean again, wears baggy trousers
and T-shirts, a letterman’s jacket from Tupelo High.
They take long walks and often hold hands.
She prefers they remain just friends. Forever.
Emily’s poems now contain naugahyde, Cadillacs,
Electricity, jets, TV, Little Richard and Richard
Nixon. The rock-a-billy rhythm makes her smile.
Elvis likes himself with style. This afternoon
he will play guitar and sing “I Taste a Liquor
Never Brewed” to the tune of “Love Me Tender.”
Emily will clap and harmonize. Alone
in their cabins later, they’ll listen to the river
and nap. They will not think of Amherst
or Las Vegas. They know why God made them
roommates. It’s because America
was their hometown. It’s because
God is a thing without
feathers. It’s because
God wears blue suede shoes.
I really liked this poem because the choice of people was pretty unexpected. A lot of the novelty paintings I've seen show Elvis with Marilyn Monroe so I thought Emily Dickinson was a nice alternative to that. I also really enjoyed the imagery and specifics used throughout the poem. It was interesting to see Emily Dickinson in such a different light, with her hair down and seemingly happy. I thought the first line was cool because it was seemed so casual. I think the last two stanzas summed up the poem nicely and the last line was very intriguing.
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This was one of my favorites too! I loved seeing how the two would hypothetically interact. I think it's a pretty interesting perspective. Maybe that's what Emily Dickinson needed in her life--a little Elvis to make her happy!
ReplyDeleteI found this poem to be one of the best in the packet because it was such a fresh perspective, like you mention. I wonder if the same type of poem would work with two different legendary characters?
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