Because I could not stop for death

This is going to be a complicated one. Last night my friend Emily died of breast cancer. I don't know how old she was but I guess late forties, far far too young. She came from and loved Amherst (Mass), which was the home of another Emily: Emily Dickinson. As a choir singer, I have often sung John Adams' version of Dickinson's poem Because I could not stop for death (from his suite Harmonium). Adams' musical setting is very evocative of the slow rocking movement you might feel when sitting in a horse-drawn carriage, like this one, which reminds me of New England, maybe because of the white fence. I have always loved that poem and that music.

Don't know if you knew either, Emily, but this is for you.