This poem on unconventional worship appeared in the Round Table (New York) on March 12, 1862, titled 'My Sabbath.'
On March 12, 1862, Dickinson's poem 'Some keep the Sabbath going to Church -' was published in the New York periodical Round Table under the title 'My Sabbath.'
This poem is among Dickinson's most famous and frequently quoted works, expressing her unconventional, personal approach to religious worship: rather than attending church, the speaker finds spiritual communion in nature, declaring 'so instead of getting to Heaven, at last— / I'm going, all along.'
Its publication in the Round Table, a literary magazine distinct from the Springfield Republican and Drum Beat that had carried her other lifetime publications, indicates a slightly wider, if still limited, circulation of her work through New York literary circles during this period.
The poem's bold theological independence—questioning institutional religion in favor of a direct, personal, nature-based spirituality—reflects the influence of Transcendentalist thought while also anticipating the radical religious skepticism that pervades much of her mature poetry.
This poem remains one of Dickinson's most celebrated works today, frequently cited as emblematic of her spiritual independence and her willingness to challenge the religious orthodoxy of her Puritan New England upbringing, even as she avoided direct public confrontation with these institutions during her lifetime.