Kelsey McNamara
Dickinson-inspired poem:
The Moon approaches- slow, steady-
Sun sits and waits
To be consumed and covered
As the Sky goes dark like night.
There is no Light,
Those who look into the darkness,
Stare at Nothing,
In wonder and awe.
Slowly and steadily,
The Moon begins to leave,
Like a ship leaving the dock,
And the people- still in amusement- watch.
Once the Moon has passed,
The people continue on with their days,
But still talking -excited, amazed-
About the Darkness during the Day.
English 110 Honors Spring 2020 
Hi Kelsey! I really like this poem a lot, I think it touches on some darn great ideas. Also, I hope you are hanging in there 🙂
“Once the Moon has passed,
The people continue on with their days,
But still talking -excited, amazed-
About the Darkness during the Day.”
I find that this stanza here EXTREMELY meaningful to me. Night and day are one of many examples of things on different sides of the same coin. A duality of stark things that despite this difference are quite similar. Other examples may include good/bad, positive/negative, happy/sad, and the list goes on from here. What I really love about this poem is that I think it deflates the power of the negative aspects of these dualities and equates them equally. Furthermore, perhaps more importantly, it shows the interdependence of each aspect of a duality on the opposite aspect. Allow me to elaborate on both these ideas, briefly.
“Darkness during the day”
This line here I feel emphasizes the fact that both day and night are two temporary conditions that occupy the same space; the sky. During the darkest times, there is still the light of the moon. On the brightest of days, there is still the looming thought of the darkness to come. I think calling daylight “Darkness during the day” really takes the oomph out of the idea of darkness. Its a gentle reminder of the light to come. Oh what? During this darkness I can still see? AND the morning is coming? Pfft.. that’s not a big deal. Lastly, you show that without one (positively connotated side) there will not be the other (negatively connotated side).
Both of these ideas you touch on I think are extremely relevant during these times.
I hope you are hanging in there, Kelsey.
My absolute best wishes,
Neil Baker
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This is a very interesting and well written poem, Kelsey. Particularly, I find the concept of the darkness during the day interesting. Did you write this poem with a deeper underlying message in mind? I really like your first stanza where the “Sun sits and waits to be consumed and covered.” It really paints the picture of the sun surrendering to the darkness as the moon eclipses it. Additionally, I really enjoy the familiar site your photo captures of the beautiful sky in front of Redding.
-Nick Whaley
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