By Kelly Keene Why does the softshut of a doorfeel like a slapin the face? Minutes thatpressed into hours ofmy past waitingfor ghosts thatnever showed up for me. Promises woven insubtle gestures,slipped like coarserope through mysweaty,bleedingpalms. Off handed, lastminute plansmentioned withouttimes or details,or the remembrancesthat no, I was notin that group chat. Laughter bouncing offtinted … Continue reading Rejection
Poetry
Paradox
by Kelly Keene I love to think about paradoxes, and collect oxymorons on a list in my phone. We get to consider the power of the paradox when we read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with the 12th graders, and I like to point out how oxymoronic language can often que readers into complex texts … Continue reading Paradox
The Leaves
by Kelly Keene Crunch. Whisp. Flutter. They are fairies at my feet. A gentle breeze shakes them to dance. A powerful gust makes them fly. Rainbows of yellow, orange, and gold frost the sidewalks in a confectioner's sugar display. They move the jogger to patter in shorter, quicker steps. Munch. Crunch. Scrunch. They compel small … Continue reading The Leaves
Clarity
by Kelly Keene The particles muddy life's waters. Clouds congest blue open skies. We misunderstand advice from our fathers. Generational wisdom dies. We mumble and post nonsense online. We saturate networks with content. The next generation, the next great idea, bends us- no spine. Time, energy, attention- all spent. The path from A to B … Continue reading Clarity
Don’t Stop for Death; An Analysis of Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop For Death”
by Kelly Keene The one certainty we know in life is that at some point, it ends. This is a scary thought for many. Even billionaires, with all the wealth and power they possess, cannot thwart death itself. Emily Dickinson, in her poem Because I Could Not Stop For Death paints an image of Death … Continue reading Don’t Stop for Death; An Analysis of Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop For Death”
Mask Up!; An Analysis of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask”
Written by Kelly Keene Public scorn and ridicule can be brutal. Subtle microaggressions might also feel like daggers if you don’t fit in, or are a part of a marginalized group. When we marginalize people, sometimes they adapt by pretending to fit in. Sometimes, that is easier than standing up to the violence of prejudice. … Continue reading Mask Up!; An Analysis of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask”
A Guiding Star: An Analysis of “To a Star Seen at Twilight” by John Rollin Ridge
By Kelly Keene To a Star Seen at Twilight by John Rollin Ridge is a poem about inspiration. The speaker, a solitary observer, pauses to look at the first star to appear as night begins to fall. Twilight, the last vestige of light before the total dark, blocks out all stars except for the brightest … Continue reading A Guiding Star: An Analysis of “To a Star Seen at Twilight” by John Rollin Ridge
Kelly Keene 