Analyzing Emily Dickinson's 'The Bells'

Adam sat on the stool with one foot on the tread at the bottom and the other straight down with his foot touching the floor. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it, drawing the tobacco in deep and slowing releasing the smoke, he took another drag before he set it in the ashtray on the table. Almost as though that cigarette was the sustenance that gave him the encouragement needed for the performance he was about to give. Without preamble, he picked up the book and read some poems by Emily Dickinson. When he was done, he returned the book on the table and took another drag off the cigarette before putting it out.

He subsequently stood up and announced the next poem would be “The Bells” by Edgar Allen Poe. He started

Adam appeared to be very multi-talented when it came to entertaining people, a natural born entertainer. He was on stage for another forty-five minutes before the show came to an end. He’d started out doing The Dancing Handkerchief, moved on to The Floating Lady, The Linking Ring, Cut and the Restore Rope Trick, plus a few others, including the Vanishing Cigarette. Adam then requested assistance from someone in the audience to help him with a few card tricks. When no one responded, he pointed to me, and asked if I would assist him. Since he had singled me out, I had no choice but to comply. Adam did a few card tricks, Bert’s Deception, Mental Mystery and the Whispering Deck. When he was done with the card tricks, he asked the audience for some applause for his assistant, after which I left the stage and returned to my table. His final magic act for the evening was The Vanishing Birdcage saving the best for last. I was completely perplexed on how that birdcage managed to disappear and made a mental note to ask him later on if he might divulge the secret. Once again he received a thunder of loud table slapping for putting on a superb

Just as he sat down before we had a chance to utter a word, the waitress appeared and I ordered a diet with lime, whereas Adam asked for a Pepsi with lime. We acknowledged that we were neighbors and had not had a proper introduction. Conversation came effortlessly for us, as we established that we both shared a love for poetry and writing. However, we did not have much time as The Coffeehouse was getting ready to close for the evening, then Adam asked: “may I give you a ride home?” The rain had finally stopped. On the way home, I asked him what he did for a living, “I work at UPS, mostly for the benefits; however, my true loves are publishing, writing, and magic.” So how exactly did the magic fit in, I asked? “I always had a love for magic since I was a little boy, and if you believe in magic anything is possible” he replied. It was my turn to tell him what I did for a living, which was by far not nearly as exciting as his; I worked as the team leader in the accounts payable department for a non-profit organization. I told him I had been with the firm now for eight years and for the most part enjoyed my job. The firm was in the process of a software implementation of which I am an integral part. My role is to test the software, write the training manuals and teach my department as well as the receivables department how to use the software. “That sounds like a good fit for you, since you enjoy writing, and you must find it a