Sandra J Kelley's E-Mail Address: sjkly@yahoo.com
Sandra's Favorite Song: Blond over Blue


Sandra J Kelley's Profile:
Hi, I'm Sandra. I have been writing poetry since I was 15. I had my first poem published at 16 and have since been published many times in national and local literary magazines and have done public readings with some famous poets. I have taken writing classes both at the university leveland with the Bethesda Writers Center. (This is the organization that publishes Poet Lore)I have also taught the basics of poetry to young children. Outside of my writing life I have a Master's Degree in Counseling and Psychological Services and work as a behavior specialist with an adult autistic population. My favorite poets are Patrick Lawler, Pablo Neruda and Adrienne Rich. I have had a lot of fun on The Link and am looking forward to a long relationship with all of you at this site.

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Displaying Critiques 51 to 100 out of 139 Total Critiques.
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Poem TitlePoet NameCritique Given by Sandra J KelleyCritique Date
Where The Heart IsMell W. MorrisMell, this is wonderful, I love to see the bits and pieces of yourself you have left in all of the places where you have been. I also love the lilac that is throughout the poem. Where I grew up there was a lilac bush outside the front door and this poem reminded me of that pogiently. Here they do not grow at all well. I also enjoyed how you added another layer to think about when you introduced the idea of the homeless having no place to grow lilacs. Very nicely done. Sandra2004-05-13 14:46:20
Beside the GateJoanne M UppendahlJoanne, lovely. I love the details and the sense of longing that you create in this poem. You really show us what holds you here even when something is calling you away. I love earth's pumping heart. As always your poem is wonderful I am glad I came across it today.2004-05-13 14:41:35
Australia, My HomeAlexander InmanAlexander, the good thing about your poems is you use a lot of concrete images, the specific names of animals and rocks the discriptives like color, tempeture etc that allow us to see and feel what you are experiencing. Also, you have nice rythm and your rhyme is natural and unforced. Keep on making up poems and read the greats, frost, lawler, blake, shakespear, cummings, ginsburg. Good luck with your future writing. Sandra2004-05-09 21:35:33
ABC's of LifeMick FraserMick, yes a little prosy but you can fix that. You have all the elements for a great poem here. The cardnal is a great symbol to tell this story with and your last line is perfect. Sandra2004-05-07 17:31:41
NightfallMark Andrew HislopWow Mark, that is really fabulous I love the image of the sheet of clouds falling. This also contains the moment of unexpected revelation which is so critical to haiku. Nice job. Sandra2004-05-04 17:26:40
RainValene L JohnsonValene, this is a neat haiku. I like the the rain drops first dancing then taking the place of braille dots on paper. This poem relies on sound it has a stacato rhythm like rain but a happy one due to the cheery sound of the word merrily. I truly enjoyed this. Sandra2004-04-21 17:04:59
Why is it that.....Sherri L. WestSherri,that is great. I love the attitude that refuses to acknowledge ageing just throw out the mirror... I would only suggest that brevity is the soul of wit and remove some of the words for example the line why is it that, the poem reads better without it. I love this poem though and the suggestion is just a matter of prefference. Sandra2004-04-14 17:43:23
Search and Seizure in the Ache of DayRachel F. SpinozaRachel, your discriptions are beautifulthe details so exact that I am standing in the kitchen with the aent and I am sweating too. You manage to fill this peice with sorrow or regret the picture of the house seems so abandoned all I can think about is someones dreams dying in that place before we got to this point. Very nice job. Sandra2004-04-04 18:11:51
Seeking ComfortJane A DayJane, this is wonderful the discriptions are really fantastic. I also like the consance of repeated c sounds in the first stanza and then the f's in the last stanza. The contrast between the extreem cold outside and the warm implied by flint and flame in the end is great. Sandra2004-04-04 17:52:20
Senryu 154Michael J. Cluffanger loud and lush is a wonderful end line. I like how you stuck to the nature image, the only intrusions of man in this poem is the donut and perhaps ecru ledge although that could be something natural even if I did think of a window. your language is beautiful and the form well done. Sandra2004-03-28 18:20:01
Purposely MeDeniMari Z.Deni, I would start with line three I want to... and other than that change nothing this is a powerful poem because it puts your goals and things you can aim for right out there for the world, and you to look at. Overall you have done a good job with this one I would start later just because the first two lines are not as dynamic and powerful as the rest. Sandra2004-03-28 18:16:27
What Missing You MeansRick BarnesRick this is a really fabulous poem. I love wrapping our arms around nothing but hope and the sence in this poem of being together but not being together and therefore willfully missing each other it is so true and so much a part of the human condition and yet now you do not even have that do not even have the dream and you realize that even those moments were precious. I really enjoyed this piece. Sandra2004-03-27 08:18:53
BackStrokeRebecca LeeRebecca what works best in this poem is all of the specific detail in the first stanza it gives us an image to hold on to when we get to the line take me back. We can go back with you because you painted such a nice picture of that time. The structure of the poem this thin line that flows down the page works well for you it helps to convey that time itself is flowing and taking us with it. Then at the end the poem thickens up like time doubling back on itself-nice job. Sandra 2004-03-20 16:29:06
Doppler Effect (Revision)Joan M WhitemanJoan good luck with the atlantic monthly. I love the first two lines and again the last stanza is awesome. In lines 3 and 4 you get a touch wordy and bringing to mind is a phrase that distances the reader from the experience of the poem I would tighten it up a little and be a bit more immediate something like gently roughing her cheek and becoming his touch, the sweet taste of temptation. The second stanza is great. In the third instead of introducing an unrelated image filled to the brink which suggests a damn or a lake or something I would go with another train related image such as rattling her soul-rattling would imply the sound of the train on the tracks-or come up with another image related to the sound or sight of a moving train. And then the rest of the poem is perfect. Good luck-I was a little tough on this one because it deserves to be published and I want you to have the best possible chance. Sandra2004-03-18 20:01:26
Courage is Fear That Has Said Its PrayersCathy Hill CookCathy, I like that statement courage is fear that has said its prayers-once you let god take control you don't stop being afraid but you have the courage to do it anyway. I do have one suggestion. brilliant colored pictures is a vague phrase it might be more meaningful if you described what you are seeing name some of the colors etc. I like the rocking chair analogy it is concrete we know what you are talking about immediately. Overall you did a nice job with this one. Sandra2004-03-18 19:40:01
Memories of BerthaSherri L. WestThe smell of coffee, with cream and sugar and I am four again, nestled safely in your comfy lap, my ear pressed against your breast. I like to listen as you swallow. the warmth of the brew passes from you to me. Your coffee-coated conversation covers me restfulness and the purity of love engulf me. Sherri, I hope you don't mind I went through and condenced your first stanza to demonstrate that one way to convey emotions and ideas more powerfully in poetry is to remove extra words and to just say things without explaining that it is a memory or a thought or whatever. I think the rest of the poem could also use the same tightening. I want you to know though that I think this is terriffic poetry. Your imagery is fantastic and touches on all of the sences. The sence of smell is the sence most strongly correlated with both emotion and memory so starting with the coffee was great. The details of what you remember about your grandfather are also great they allow the reader to come to know him even as you knew him and to miss him as you miss him. Great job. Sandra 2004-03-14 20:09:52
Vandenbergs LoveDeniMari Z.Deni, this poem is really powerful. I like that you say the couple is bonded although not wed. Bonded is a word that really implies a volintary comitment that is so deep that it is not easily broken an emotion that is an essential part of the individual. Bonded is the perfect word to use in this poem. My blessing is having your ring of love...- this line too is exactly right. We are used to saying count your blessings as if we need a multitued of them but you change that around my blessing here implies that this one blessing is enough it is all the speaker needs. Great writing here. And then the ending is also very well done. Overall I really enjoyed this poem. Sandra2004-03-13 21:31:19
So WhatRegis L ChapmanRegis, this is also the same thing ginsburg was getting at when he wrote the howl.He wanted to just put the poetic impulse on the page and let it hang out there raw. He later did some minor revisions to his hand written copy but it is almost the same now as it was when he first wrote it. The long stanza in the middle of the poem is the strongest as the first stanzas can be read as dismissive of poetic tradition-although when you read the whole poem you do understand that the author is not saying poetic tradition is unimportant just that it is not everything and that developing your own voice and expressing yourself is also important. I enjoyed this very much. Sandra2004-03-13 20:41:42
EscapeRegis L ChapmanRegis, this poem has some really interesting stuff going on in it but I think it needs to be tightened up. I want to escape (want is not a very strong verb how about yearn, desire or something deeper and stronger) from [the] reminders [that](of) someone [has been] here before {I don't even know why I feel this but I still do} these lines probabaly don't need to be here but if you want to express this idea try to do it in fewer words and a stronger verb) and as I drive by you protected by my windshield and you by yours The above three lines are the best ones in the poem the idea is originally expressed and the imagery is good. It is also quite insightful. I [can] stare out at you and yours as I go by and know [that] you feel this too [sometimes] I would like to know you [I would like] to talk about [what we can do to ]make(ing) it different but then again I don't want to see you near me anymore, either... whatever shall we do? I really like that central image of being protected by the windows of the car it makes the whole poem work..My suggesetions are just to make it more condenced. Think of it as being a spring the tighter you get it the more power it has. Sandra 2004-03-13 20:32:10
APPROACHING FULL CIRCLE (a self portrait)Marcia McCaslinMarcia, I really enjoyed your poem. One comment I have is that you might want to concider putting it all in present tense instead of switching to past tense. My childhood has caught up with me. (I like this) I gave it a firm brush-off, for I had important, compelling (how true we get so busy we forget to do things that are just for fun) things to do, and it would slow me down. For a long while, it waited in the distance, a child in shadows, admiring me, (I like a child in shadows it adds to your image of neglect) wanting to be my friend-- (good stanza break it adds some emphasis to the next line) and my equal.(we so often forget that we work to live not live to work and this child reminds you that all of those urgent things you do may not be all that important) When my first grandchild arrived, I heard myself talking baby talk but not only to her: to friends, my husband, my coworkers. (lol-I like that) All the years in between: the pregnancies, snarled relationships, pets, children, horseback riding, skiing, Dancers' Workshop, the little certificates of achievement (little certificates... that is a fabulous line it is so dismissing) have gone--poof! Only the child remains, holding my hand, listening to my stories, being my friend-- and my equal. and the end is strong it shows what you have learned and goes full circle. Overall you have done a great job with this poem. Sandra 2004-03-12 08:21:22
The Fiasco In MeErzahl Leo M. EspinoErzahl, this is a sad portrait, the feeling that you are presenting a clean brave put together face to the world while at the same time feeling like you are not what you seem. I wrote a poem about myself as a tree that was rotting inside out your poem reminds me of that. And then the implication in the last two lines that we fool ourselves more than we fool others is also interesting. I liked this very much. Sandra2004-03-11 20:01:20
I Am Fredmarilyn terwillegerMarilyn, this is quite clever, it is the type of thing I would read to kids in day care when I worked there and I can picture this illustrated and used as a read along book that the kids chant along with you. The only suggestion I have is in the last line bob is a stopper it interupts the flow of the line the double b sounds are the problem how about bill instead. Overall I think you did a terriffic job with this. Sandra2004-03-09 21:10:39
ShhhMichele Rae MannMichelle, the strongest parts of your poem are in the first three stanzas when you appeall to each of the senses. That appeal really draws the reader in and prepares them for the more philosophical and personal stanzas at the end. One thing I would look at is the repeated use of words (shhh works because the repition is part of the form of the poem) what I am talking about is using the word fear twice in the fourth stanza faith three times and petrified and petrifing in the fifth. You might want to concider using other words that have similar meaning rather than repeating those words. Overall, I like the poem a lot it has a very reflective quality. Sandra2004-03-07 16:23:45
TruthRachel F. SpinozaRachel, I have always found the sonnet a difficult form but you make it seem so easy. I am sure you actually sweated over it but it doesn't show-there are no places where the language has been wretched out of joint for the sake of the form no rhymes where the word is not quite right but used anyway because it rhymes. In other words you did this one just right. Sandra2004-02-28 20:30:18
A Growing Appetite for SpringJoanne M UppendahlJoanne, I love this it is so specific and also has such great commentary on the human as well as animal condition. I might suggest changing the ending a bit make it almost haiku like The coldest tundra savors new life; thriving under winter wraps. like us isn't neccessary the reader will make the comparison anyway-or at least that is how I think they would respond and it makes the poem end a little stronger. This poem is wonderful. Sandra2004-02-28 20:14:06
Just Like YouMick FraserMick, this is a good tribute to your father and also a good poem. I like the list of things you don't know, of things you have heard, and ways you are like him. The end of the poem where you reveal that you have the same heart defect is a good ending for a poem but sad for a life. If you decide to revise this I woul concentrate on making it more concise. Overall, I enjoyed your poem very much. 2004-02-28 20:05:16
japanese verse 21 to 40 - Second CollectionErzahl Leo M. EspinoWell amnesia, water lilies and prayer are my favorites. Vulture and Ku Klux Klan are a little heavy on alliteration for me but that is just a personal reaction. I enjoy camel too- I can see this beast swaying through the desert with the hills on his back. Will is less concrete and more conceptual than most of your work. Well, I know I did not touch on each one but I did want to let you know what I liked best. Sandra2004-02-28 19:59:24
Then I'll Dance With DragonfliesJoanne M UppendahlJoanne, I really just don't know what to say. I read this poem several days ago and just did not feel up to critiquing it then because I feel this poem is hinting at something extraordinary. I love how you name some things like the swallowtail and wonder why you use great bears instead of being more specific-are they grizzlies, polar, brown... I love the respect this poem gives to the small lives. Who else would study mosquitoes. Then I'll dance with dragonflies if I dare-that line twists the poem into being also about you about your willingness to take chances to dream of flying. I enjoyed this poem very much but feel like I'm not doing it justice. Sandra2004-02-28 19:51:35
Winter Treesmarilyn terwillegerMarilyn, all I would do is get rid of as so its not a simili. Something like bare branches dancing lover's embrace enacting in orchestra wind Capital letters are not traditionally used in haiku. I like the images in your poem very much. Sandra2004-02-27 20:48:34
One Just BellRick BarnesRick, wow I like this the power in your last statement has built up throught out the poem in all of the bells you do not want to hear. I really like this and hope to see it on the winners list. Sandra2004-02-27 20:43:30
japanese verse 40 (Petals)Erzahl Leo M. EspinoErzahl, this is a nice thought for valentines day. It is not one of your best poems however, I think lovely and blossom are not the strongest images you could use and a similie seems out of place in japanese verse. I know this was probably just written to express you thoughts on valintines day which it does so it works in its own way. sandra2004-02-27 20:33:53
haikuhaikuRegis L ChapmanRegis, well I must confess to counting as well. This as has been pointed out quite a bit about other japaneses verse posted on the link recently is a senryu rather than a haiku but it works what ever you call it. I like the counting on fingers it brings to mind many images first of children counting their math problems then poets of all ages counting syllables. I like this thank you for sharing. Sandra2004-02-27 20:13:46
Down The MountainRegis L ChapmanRegis, many of the images in your note, ever green crops, rain clouds etc, should be included in your poem. They are beautiful. On the other hand hues and colors is pretty vague. It might be more powerful if you included the mention of the green plants, grey clouds etc in the poem. The intensity of your feelings does come through in your poem as you introduce new things to think about in each line. Overall nice job. Sandra 2004-02-27 19:54:24
HeartCirclesRebecca LeeRebecca, I really enjoyed your poem. I do think you might want to concider changing the order of your lines a little. the flower throws its pollen the tree flings its seeds all beauty ends and blooms again... What rearranging the order of the lines does is put the specific lines with concrete images and powerfull verbs first where they can hook the reader. Changing the line breaks puts the verbs in the most important point in the line so that they carry more weight. I did truly enjoy the poem though and this was just a suggestion. Sandra2004-02-27 17:45:48
What Gives?Michael J. Cluffunvaries is an interesting choice. It implies becoming more similar. The uniform veries less as time goes by but your word says it more eloquently. Rejoicing is a surprising ending since I expected to hear that you did not like that kind of life. Overall that is what I like about this poem the unfamiliarity the surprises you spring on me. Also the specificity of the discriptions in the first stanza is good. Sandra2004-02-27 17:33:20
japanese verse 39 (Amnesia)Erzahl Leo M. Espinoerzahl, I love the line I lost time again. It refers to so many things including just being with someone and enjoying it so much that time loses meaning. I also like how you start the poem with time friday afternoon and then end it outside of time. Very nice job with this one. Sandra2004-02-27 17:24:31
Senryu 135Michael J. CluffI like your use of color it is so mater of fact against the starkness of your statement about a murder. I find the chris and robin slightly disturbing because of childhood memories of christopher robin but maybe that is what your going for. Either way, I like the poem. Sandra2004-02-26 16:57:14
A Passion For SenryuThomas Edward WrightThomas, I think the alternating lines telling two parrellel stories was a great choice for this poem it keeps the graphic nature of the murder from overwhelming the reader. It also helps to create the feeling of interested involvement that would lead someone to call the police but leave them not that worried. I truly liked your poem and will look for it on the winners list. Sandra 2004-02-26 16:49:04
Senyru 132Michael J. CluffWow, Michael, I don't know what to say. Your first line is great imagery. Your second line is technically correcta little graphic when attached to your first line and a perfect set up for your last line. Your last line is a deep philosophical statement. I hope to see more poems like this one its terrific. Sandra2004-02-25 15:59:04
untitledErin E RolandErin, I like this very much. Your last two lines are original and compelling and I like how you interpret life and dna as a language. The details of blushing and artists hands keep this poem acsessable.Good luck with you writing I can't wait to see more. Sandra2004-02-22 20:46:27
Missingmarilyn terwillegerMarilyn, this poem is very beautifully written. The details of your life and the moments when you most miss your husband are very touching. I like how you touch sound as well as sight in your poem and appeal to multiple senses. When I eat pie is my favorite line just because it seems like such an innocent thing to do but you have made it poigent and loaded with memory. Nice job with this one. Sandra2003-12-07 19:18:16
This Last ChristmasPaul R LindenmeyerPaul, this poem speaks of so much loss, all of this, christmas,the woman you are speaking to the baby, have all been consigned to memory as if they are gone the last stanza points to divorce rather than death but the poem has left us feeling the loss just as keenly as if they are dead. This is truly a great poem. Sandra2003-12-05 17:44:15
Finding HopeRick BarnesRick, your wonderful discriptions paint a picture that is very complex. First grey ash and bare trees start to create a feeling of dispair then you say this is what hope looks like and that makes you think of potential and the fact that there is hope in all things. I love this poem. Sandra2003-12-04 17:34:42
The FileC ArrownutPoet, Beady eyed people in black wing tips is very good the discription tells us alot more about these people then simply what you said. I also like the almost hipster beat of this poem it reminds me of some of the beat poets.Of cource the politics of this poem also reminds me of the beat poets. Overall I think you have done a nice job with this one. Sandra 2003-12-03 15:41:07
japanese verse 32 (Chess)Erzahl Leo M. EspinoErzahl, I have never seen a more concise definition of a game of chess. I like how many of your haiku have philosophical meaning that lingers even after the reading is over. Sandra2003-12-02 18:53:17
japanese verse 31 (Twilight)Erzahl Leo M. EspinoErzahl, I love the last line but have a little difficulty with this poem as I think of the sun in the first line when you mention the great torch and then have trouble following the rest of the poem. That may just be me. I do love the last line it is great. Sandra2003-12-02 18:31:20
Her Healing HandsMark D. KilburnMark, I enjoyed your poem very much. The shade from your trees is now cooling me down my eyes see your flowers growing loved from the ground your touch lights my being your light warms my soul as long as you’re near me I’m complete and I’m whole. (you are talking to someone you obviously hve great affection and respect for it is evident in your language. Your rhyme scheme works for this poem even though it is one hard to pull off-in this case it adds to the casual affectionate tone) Your eyes and your smile are as pretty as stars (nice metaphor) you’re gifted at healing old aches, pains and scars your motherly nursing only for those in need I drink from your well as you water your seed. (here you acknowledge your own need while also showing she is capable of meeting that need) Little birds in your garden flit and flutter about (nice image here) your yards full of kindness it erases their doubt trees are their shelter bugs and flowers their food ( you make the bugs as beuatiful as the flowers very nice) it’s a place that can alter the nastiest mood. Your ground covers cover my many mistakes your blooms make me smile come and take a short break you work without reward satisfactions your own hummingbirds with these flowers make your garden their home. Your lips taste of berries (nicely put) my mouth tastes the same we’re watching red roses in this place free from blame so when your heart’s broken and your feelings are hurt please let me heal with you work your life giving dirt. When winter is raging and your garden’s asleep your soil is frozen and the gray makes you weep warm your heart in my arms dear warm your spirit there too I will love you forever and will always be true. The thing I really love about the poem is that it works equally well if you are talking about earth herself or about a special woman in youf life. Overall, You have done a very good job with this one. Sandra 2003-11-23 19:12:23
Tsa-ga-gla-talJoanne M UppendahlJoanne, How wonderfull. I love your discriptions and your subtle personification of both moon and racoon. Your title is perfect (but I think the translation might be more effective in parenthesis under the title). I will look for this on the winners list and can see nothing that needs to change. I love it. Sandra2003-11-21 22:17:55
Deja VuSergio M chavezSergio, this poem does a good job of eliciting emotion, not just the rage that the narrator is feeling but also regret and a sadness that this is allowed to happen. The last section where you break away from stanza patterns and set line lengths is especially effective it allows emotion to flow more freely. Sandra2003-11-20 18:02:20
Winter NightDebbie L FischerDebbie, this is wonderfully done. It is imagistic and pays great attention to language I love wind, windows, howling and then hearthside scent symphony softly the echoes of both assonance and consonance are incredible. Also not one line seems strangly cut or warped to fit the form but all flow naturally. Again, I love this one. Sandra 2003-11-20 17:57:34
Poem TitlePoet NameCritique Given by Sandra J KelleyCritique Date

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