Name: Death Kindly Stopped For Me: A Book of Poetry Inspired by Emily Dickinson
Item: Death Kindly Stopped For Me: A Book of Poetry Inspired by Emily Dickinson
Rating: 5
Author: Hannah Lindley

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An absolute must-read for Emily Dickinson fans and all other poetry lovers

Synopsis

Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity –
Excerpt from "Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson

If Death could be seen as an actual person, what would it be like? Emily Dickinson’s iconic poem personifies Death as a gentleman caller arriving to escort the speaker on a carriage ride. They do not go alone, for Immortality is said to be present as well. It is possible to surmise in the poem’s last verse (quoted above) that death exists in earthly time, yet Immortality is timeless. This mystical poem helps dissolve fear of Death and points to the love and truth of eternal life. Each poem in this volume is inspired by this same resonant theme in Dickinson’s most infamous poem about Death.

Death Kindly Stopped For Me by Corey Elizabeth Jackson is both a breathtaking ode to the brilliant Emily Dickinson and the chronicle of a writer’s healing journey. Divided into four sections, the book accompanies readers on a spiritual journey experienced via the written word. In part one, “Death Befriended,” Jackson explores a sentiment repeatedly explored by Dickinson; namely, that death should be accepted as a part of life. In the second section, “Kindred Spirits,” Jackson interacts with a much more heavily personified death, incorporating it into her daily life as an entity which she encounters regularly. In the third section, “Death Released,” Death’s role in the world at large — often a dangerous one vulnerable to human corruption — is explored. Section four, Soulscape, analyzes the personified death as a widely accepted part of a universal cycle.

In this phenomenal work, Jackson imitates Dickinson’s style frequently; aside from personifying death, she also ends many lines with dashes and often writes in the passive voice. One could write extensively on Jackson’s brilliant twist on Dickinson’s distinct meter, but it must suffice to say that she is, as she writes in the first poem of section one, “one of those children in [Dickinson’s] ring.” Jackson plays an active role in most of her own poetry. She is at first timid with the personification of death, telling it politely to stay away and come another time. But she takes readers on a deeply moving and spiritual journey, one which is clearly personal due to the notes before the individual poems inspired by the life events of others. Grief, illness, and more are on display, and at the heartbreaking crescendo of her suffering, Jackson pens, “My willing soul is wooed by death…I’ll soon in dateless splendor be.” Ultimately, though, the quiet resilience for which Dickinson is so well-known prevails in Jackson as well. “We do not die without our own consent,” she concludes. Death Kindly Stopped for Me is a must-read for poetry lovers, Emily Dickinson fans, and the quiet, strong souls.

Reviewed by

Hannah Lindley is 32 years old. A writer and voracious reader since she was young, she holds a bachelor’s degree in English. Her favorite writers include C. W. Gortner, Rachel Kushner, Hilary Mantel, and Shirley Jackson.

Synopsis

Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity –
Excerpt from "Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson

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Death Kindly Stopped For Me: A Book of Poetry Inspired by Emily Dickinson

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