I robbed the Woods

#41
I robbed the Woods -
The trusting Woods.
The unsuspecting Trees
Brought out their Burs and mosses
My fantasy to please.
I scanned their trinkets curious -
I grasped - I bore away -
What will the solemn Hemlock -
What will the Oak tree say?
- Emily Dickinson, c. 1858

When my children were small we lived in the country. We would often venture out into the woods to find ‘treasures’ - bits of moss, cool twigs, mushrooms and fungus - to bring home and make things with. When my kids went out with their dad, they would always bring back ‘treasures’ they had collected for me. This poem sent me back to those times. We didn’t have oak and hemlock trees, but I’m sure the pine and spruce that ‘brought out their burs and mosses’ for us didn’t mind that we gathered them up and took them home.
This could be a metaphor - perhaps she is talking about other writers or people she admires, gleaning ideas from them, or looking for acceptance or help in getting her poems published. It’s possible. But I like my memories . . .