#ahmc

*spins the fandom roulette wheel* Ahh yes, AH today.

A daring YDYD rescue!

Bonus, cuz I finally designed Fiona’s MC look

Elizabeth Oakes Smith, denied the opportunity to pursue a formal education, nevertheless made her way into the American literary scene with the publication of her poem “The Sinless Child” in 1842. The opportunity for a professional life only presented itself after financial hardship forced Smith and her husband to move from Maine to New York City where she began writing essays as a way to help earn a living. In addition to the poetry and essays, she wrote novels and gave lectures on a range of progressive issues, with women’s rights foremost among them.

Her career began to decline in the 1860s, however, when the Civil War and a series of family adversities left Smith without the support she previously enjoyed. The poem above, published in different forms over the years under the titles “The Soul-Solitude,” “Isolation,” and “Unattained,” is, in this manuscript version simply called “Alone.” Written while living with one of her sons in Patchogue, Long Island, it reflects the spiritual concerns that were the focus of her later life.

I really liked the idea of just jumping into the void...