JHS, there is no need for apologies. I only used the oblique reference as a sequitur to the previous sentence about path. Again, I am not from the Northeast and my reference was fueled by two things: at the time I was immersed in the works of Robert Frost --courtesy of a group of scholars led by CMC’s Robert Faggen – my younger sister was visiting Amherst. She did comment how she liked the library and we end up talking about it at Christmas. About that and perhaps about another dismal ending of our beloved Cowboys or Longhorns. I also remember the JFK stories and one about Frost discussing the meaning of Mending Wall poem at Amherst. I did think that Frost had a multi-years connection to Amherst as a fellow, scholar, and professor I guess that spending time elsewhere created different connections… I was not aware of similar activities by Dickinson.
I fully understand that people who eminently familiar with Dickinson’s connections with Amherst might have registered my allusion as you did. Chalk it to my regional or factual ignorance. I meant Frost but I can see why people were confused. After all, some of us are all pine and others all apple orchard.
As always, a small disagreement --if there is even one-- has become a learning opportunity. I now know more about Dickinson than I did yesterday. Next time, I’ll refer to the Poet laureate of Vermont, courtesy of Wikipedia! 