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    Trauma Monsters: A Collection of Poetry
    Trauma Monsters: A Collection of Poetry
    Trauma Monsters: A Collection of Poetry
    Ebook101 pages53 minutes

    Trauma Monsters: A Collection of Poetry

    By JonKeL

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    About this ebook

    (Eccentrich @Be.Eccentrich.Inc) "When Jon told me he was writing a book, I knew it would be filled with incredible poems that told amazing stories about a tough childhood deserving of redemption, so I was excited to read it."

     

    (Jacob Mayberry @BlackChakra88) "Everyday I gain more respect for JonKeL. He's someone that's worked for his national ranking. He's someone that consistently works for how good he is in poetry." 

     

    (Nick Fury @NickFuryThePoet) "Since JonKeL has been mentoring me, I've grown as an artist significantly. He provided a space for me to share, give me feedback that was more nuanced, and challenged me to explore my vulnerabilities through my writing. He always encourages me to find my most authentic voice."

     

    The author invites readers to enter his world through powerful poetry. Trauma Monsters: A Collection of Poetry contains 23 dynamic poems that also includes additional information about each piece. This will provide more insight on the author's creative process and the monsters he's been trying to put to rest. We are often haunted by our past traumas, and sometimes the healthiest coping comes in the form of poetic expression. 

     

    Jonathan David Kelly, better known as JonKeL, is a South Florida actor, writer, and creative director. His artistic journey began as a child, winning essay and poetry contests in grade school. Inspired by his father who was also a poet, he connected with this genre of writing for its healing properties, after journaling turned into therapy. It became the healthy, creative outlet he needed to deal with life's struggles. Writing about subjects most youth are too young to process, like domestic violence and drug abuse, creative expression was his first remedy for dealing with the pain. 

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJonKeL
    Release dateJun 18, 2023
    ISBN9798215607046
    Trauma Monsters: A Collection of Poetry
    Author

    JonKeL

    The seeds of my artistic journey were planted when I was just 7 years old. Poetry became my refuge, an outlet for emotions I couldn't yet articulate. Growing up amid my parents' struggles with addiction and the chaos of domestic violence, I turned to writing as a source of solace. When arguments erupted or gunshots rang through my Miami neighborhood, I instinctively reached for a pencil and paper, pouring my feelings into poetry. Little did I know, this creative practice would become my lifelong therapy. As I entered my teenage years, life grew even more challenging. Homeless at one point, I found relief not only in writing but also in the performing arts. Miami Northwestern's PAVAC magnet program introduced me to theater, and with the guidance of my teacher and mentor, Ms. Charlotte Seward, I found another means of healing. Her maternal influence shaped my growth, both as an artist and as a person. At 14, I began working to support myself and, later, my younger brother when my mother was incarcerated. Stability came through my grandmother, who took us in, as my father's addiction left him unable to care for us. By 16, I joined an after-school program as a peer educator, using the arts to bridge understanding and connect with my peers—a role that profoundly influenced my sense of purpose. After a brief stint in the Army that ended due to an injury, I turned to nonprofit work, dedicating 25 years to empowering others. Today, I mentor youth in the same program that shaped my teenage years, guiding them to use the arts as a force for change. As Creative Director of Be Eccentrich Inc., I champion creative expression to enrich communities, often working in prisons and classrooms to fulfill my mission. While poetry remains my foundation, my work spans many forms of artistic expression. Since 2016, I've competed in national poetry slams, earning top placements at events like the Exit 36 Festival and Blackberry Peach Festival. My greatest pride lies in creating work that uplifts and inspires. Art is my way of processing life and encouraging others to do the same. Beyond entertainment, I aim to spark conversations and offer perspectives that challenge and unite.

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      Book preview

      Trauma Monsters - JonKeL

      Forward

      It’s been a pleasure getting to know JonKeL as both a friend and artist for almost 10 years now. I have had the privilege to create, perform, and produce work together that not only entertains, but positively impacts our communities. What drew me to Jon was his love for the arts, his storytelling, and his resiliency. We have competed on nationally ranked slam teams throughout the country, brought poetry to prisons, empowered hundreds of youth in K-12 schools and within the community, hoping to leave a greater impact using the arts.

      When Jon told me he was writing a book, I knew it would be filled with incredible poems that told amazing stories about a tough childhood deserving of redemption, so I was excited to read it. I had previously heard some of these pieces, but after I read it I walked away with new information about my friend, along with ways to improve my writing, and the understanding that we must tell our stories our way, so that people can be motivated and moved by them.

      Trauma Monsters provides a unique insight into the poetry writing process, that includes a backstory on the development of each poem. This is what it means to be a glass house, to show your journey on the road to vulnerability.

      Jon you have got yourself a 10 here and I am forever proud of your growth and fearlessness when it comes to your creativity, poetry, and the boldness you have in telling your story. No matter how hard it gets, I know you’ll always be up for the challenge.

      To the readers, I urge you to read this book with an open heart and with your own life in the forefront. I hope it makes you want to write, as it did for me. I hope you get to know my colleague and friend as I know him. I can't wait to see the work that you create because of it. May it inspire creatives of all walks.

      With love and best regards,

      ECCENTRICH

      Arts Equity Advocate

      CEO of Be Eccentrich Inc

      BeEccentrich.org

      Trauma Monsters

      I’ve never been a big fan of horror movies.

      I don’t think that they’re bad,

      they just don’t scare me

      the way real life has.

      I don’t believe in stories about some Candyman. 

      Out of fear I’d never say my trauma’s name

      5 times in a mirror.

      Serial slashers can’t cut me

      any deeper than I’ve sliced myself.

      I’ve seen death

      enough times to know

      it doesn’t always appear in the shadows,

      wearing a hood.

      In my hood the masked men

      weren’t always the killers to run from.

      Sometimes the butchers wore blue.

      Blue as the face of my mother

      gasping for breath

      under the knee of that cop.

      He must’ve been a vampire

      the way he sucked the life out of her future.

      The past made my mummy dead inside.

      Wrapped up her war wounds

      only to pass down that pain

      through poor parenting.

      But you can’t blame the monster

      for what Frankenstein

      I mean Reagan did.

      Crack in the 80s

      turned my block into Elm Street.

      A nightmare filled with the walking dead.

      5 dollar head and 5 dollar hits

      was never enough to keep them fed.

      Those Crack zombies ate my family alive.

      I couldn’t do anything except hide

      under the covers

      when my uncle crept in my room.

      It must’ve been the full moon

      that brought the beast out of him.

      That night I learned that addiction

      can make the boogeyman hide under your bed.

      Wait for you to fall asleep

      and steal everything including your dreams.

      I don’t need to replay my trauma

      on the big screen.

      Stephen King couldn’t write these stories.

      The sematary in my city

      was filled with pets and my best friends.

      Where the loudest bumps in the night

      came from the gunshots.

      The sound of the chi chi chi cha cha

      Chopper makes every heart stop.

      There’s something striking about suspense.

      The way it builds up,

      leaves your audience hanging

      from a rope.

      Or on the edge of their seats.

      So before my story reaches its climax,

      I fight back.

      Armed with poetic silver bullets,

      Words whittled into wooden stakes, and a chest plate

      forged from freedom.

      I refuse to be another black character

      that dies in the first scene.

      I won’t let my art imitate life.

      No matter what the critics say.

      ●  Draft: 3rd

      ●  Hook: Horror Movies

      ●  Inspiration: This piece began

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