Fear on the Cellar StairsPoetry is about emotion - not only the emotion displayed in the many layers of a poem's language, but also the layers emotions created in the reader. Some poetry can be light and happy. , other poetry can be ecstatic and ethereal; and at the opposite extreme, poetry can be dark and downright menacing. Sucha's poem is called "Cellar Stairs" by contemporary poet Thomas Lux. “It’s rickety until dark,” declares the first line. The poem begins with an image of darkness, compounded by a feeling of instability ("shaky"). The absence of any physical room or area leaves us disoriented and groundless. All we know is that we are entering “darkness.” The sound of the language itself contributes to the feeling. Starting with the "ih" sound of "It's" and "rickety," the vocal frequency itself also descends, to the "ow" of "down and the "ah" of "dark." Not only does the line tell us that descend to us, but the words themselves also descend. Of course, this is where the threat lies: the generally accepted place of Hell. The second and third lines produce a feeling of pure and simple fear. skates hang (2) , which gives us an image of dangling objects, in the style of the hanged man Not only that, but the skates are long-bladed. Not short, nor curved, but long - menacingly long. the larger the weapon; the more damage The third line cements the threat: "...I want to cut your throat." Long, hanging blades are now considered weapons capable of inflicting specific bodily harm. additional personification given by ...... middle of. paper ......ge, the way the words sound, the way they feel in my mouth when I say them - all of this contributes to a feeling of apprehension, a feeling of fear. Will I go back upstairs one more time? This poem exists on two very different levels. On one hand, the speaker is a child, sent to the dark, creepy basement for a bag of frozen vegetables. But on the other, more sinister side, the very obvious correlations between the dark basement and Hell are directly intended to terrorize and intimidate the reader. It's not easy to be afraid these days. This poem does an admirable job of making itself engaging and frightening in less than half a page. The intention is achieved. Works CitedLux, Thomas. “Cellar stairs.” West Wind: An Introduction to Poetry. Ed. John Frederick Nims and Charles Mason. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2000. 541-542.