'Into her inner ear'

The Emily Dickinson House, in Amherst, Mass. Most critics consider Dickinson (1830-1886) one of the greatest American poets. The house is now a museum.

"As Emily Dickinson

would not come down, I'm

sorry, but I've felt the need to climb

the worn steps to her rook,

winding up the stair

as if into her inner ear.''

From "The Upper Story'', by Mary Jo Salter