
Owl statue at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Through lane it lay–thro’ bramble–
Through clearing and thro’ wood —
Banditti often passed us
Upon the lonely road.
The wolf came peering curious–
The Owl looked puzzled down–
The serpent’s satin figure
Glid stealthily along,
The tempests touched our garments–
The lightning’s poinards gleamed–
Fierce from the Crag above us
The hungry Vulture screamed–
The Satyrs fingers beckoned–
The Valley murmured “Come”–
These were the mates–
This was the road
These Children fluttered home.
~~Emily Dickinson, c. late 1858
Note: Dickinson may have been eluding to John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.
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