Revolution is the Pod
Systems rattle from
When the Winds of Will are stirred
Excellent is Bloom
But except its Russet Base
Every Summer be
The Entomber of itself,
So of Liberty–
Left inactive on the Stalk
All its Purple fled
Revolution shakes it for
Test if it be dead.
This one’s for Will.
And, no, it’s not mine; it’s Emily Dickinson’s. She didn’t title her poems, so I named the post after her, including the year it was written.
Here, I see so much of the National Academy and colored boxes, not to mention a rich, wonderful irony! From the “russet” (think roots as well as reddish) to the “purple”, when one pictures the context of the poem, it all gels.
“Revolution is the Pod/ Sytems rattle from.” Recall that 1865 was a time of rebirth for the Constitution with the 14th Amendment. A paradigm shift in which everything changed.
To quote Jessica, “My inner geek is doing cartwheels” here!
There’s an interesting article in the February 2009 issue of SMITHSONIAN. Darwin and Lincoln were born on the same day 200 years ago, and the piece examines “Their Genius, Their Legacies, Their Humanity”.
Lincoln’s work brought a paradigm shift, as did Darwin’s discoveries. Add to the mix that at this time Mendel was discovering heredity with his pea plants, and it’s pretty clear why Dickinson was writing of revolution.
Chaos seemed to swirl over the whole of Western society, as the people openly talked of being descended from apes. Of course, the science wasn’t clearly understood, so rumor, speculation, and doubt clouded general understanding.
The U.S. Civil War had nearly torn our nation asunder, yet Union and natural rights prevailed.