Once Emily was satisfied that she had written enough representative poetry, she pressed the American writer, editor, and lecturer Thomas Wentworth Higginson in the years 1862-63 with letters containing samples of her poetry, and requesting an evaluation of her work. His response was ingenuous, even patronizing. When the two finally met in person in August, 1870, after years of delay, Emily may have still had hopes that Higginson would endorse and support her work, but instead, he fell short in understanding either the poetry or the woman.

Emily was devastated by Higginson's incomprehension. She never again wrote with the same output she had shown during the great period. And even though some excellent poetry was produced after 1863, for the most part, the motivation and drive to write great poetry was gone. Although thoroughly self-absorbed, Emily's ego was very fragile, and her sense of self-worth hardly alive. She affected disdain for celebrity.

I'M NOBODY! WHO ARE YOU?
ARE YOU NOBODY, TOO?
THEN THERE'S THE PAIR OF US-- DON'T TELL!
THEY'D BANISH US, YOU KNOW.
HOW DREARY TO BE SOMEBODY!
HOW PUBLIC, LIKE A FROG
TO TELL YOUR NAME THE LIVELONG DAY
TO AN ADMIRING BOG!