Jenna Keson The Versatility of Please

The Versatility of Please by Jenna Keson CENTRAL REVIEW • SPRING 2020 • 37

If I am the sail, rip through and guide me please. If you are the captain, I will follow you wherever you please.

Tame your clenched fists and white knuckles, return your arms to your side, please.

He stands firm and tall when his wife begs but crumples whenever his mistress pouts “pretty please.”

Take my hand and run with me through the trees, branches stinging like the belt your father used. Please?

If you must leave, when you turn around don’t look back. If you must leave, forget me please.

Question: Why do melodies trickle out of finches at unexpected times? Answer: Because they have no one to please.

Apple crumble cools on the worn windowsill. “Oh darling, would you like a piece?” Yes, ma’am, please.

Engine stalled, door slammed, tow company called, no attention paid to the man with a cardboard sign, “Spare change please.”

Ombre brown leaves swirl beside cold, overgrown grass. Just one more day of summer, Mother Nature, please.

Tight hands tear a child, no more than four, from her mother’s limp embrace like generations before. “No, mommy, please!”

Kayla Szymanski is a sophomore Honors student majoring in Secondary English Education from New Lenox, IL. She is currently an editor for the Honors Platform and Great Lakes Platform. On campus, Kayla is the Larzelere Hall Vice President, a Front Desk Receptionist, and Honors 100 teaching assistant. She enjoys helping mentees, committee members, and high school students find meaningful ways to express their passions. In her free time, Kayla enjoys reading, dancing, playing badminton, cross-stitching, and writing.