Fun Quizzes

Are you another Elizabeth Barrett Browning (How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.), Emily Dickinson (I held a jewel in my fingers and went to sleep.) or Carl Sandburg (The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on.)

Do you have the soul of a poet? Perhaps you do and you are simply waiting for your literary flair to spontaneously emerge. How does one know if he or she is poetic? Well, let's see...

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was a recluse who had an affinity for long, white dresses. Some historians hint that she may have suffered an ill-fated affair of the heart. Star-crossed lovers abound, then and now. If, indeed, the rumor is accurate, most of us can understand her pain, if not her decision to become an ascetic and compose lonely, heartfelt poetry. Sadly, little of her work was published during her lifetime.

Elizabeth Barrett Brown (1861-1906) learned Greek, Latin and several modern languages when still a child. An invalid during her early years, her health improved dramatically when she eloped with Robert Browning (1812-1889). There is a medical lesson in there somewhere. As you may have noticed, he was much older than she.

Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) was not only a tough, outgoing reporter, but also a folk musician who accompanied himself somewhat roughly on the guitar while he sang folk songs. I am afraid he did not prosper in the music industry. I visited his modest home in North Carolina and saw the chair in which Sandburg sat when he wrote. His home and furnishings were like the man, comfortable and folksy.

Do you feel lyrical? Learn if you will be the next Lord Bryon or Emily Dickinson by choosing either yes or no to answer the following questions. Consult the scoring instructions at the end of the test.

• January 29, 2010, 3:50 pm - anonymous Poetic genius is most certainly not determined by the color you wear.