"Some keep the Sabbath going to church," by Emily Dickinson

Some keep the Sabbath going to church —
I keep it, staying at Home —
With a Bobolink for a Chorister —
And an Orchard, for a Dome —

Some keep the Sabbath in Surplice —
I just wear my Wings —
And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church,
Our little Sexton — sings.

God preaches, a noted Clergyman —
And the sermon is never long,
So instead of getting to Heaven, at last —
I’m going, all along.

+ Emily Dickinson

In an age of worldwide pandemic and “stay at home” orders, this poem has perhaps never been more pertinent - though Dickinson slyly leaves ambiguous whether the narrator here is a person or a bird (“Orchard, for a Dome,” “wear my Wings,” etc.). In any case, we can all say “Amen” to the theological spirit of these verses, with their affirmation of the natural world as a cathedral that, pandemic or not, is always open.