Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Return of the Ghost" by Weldon Kees delves into themes of memory, nostalgia, and the haunting presence of the past. Through evocative imagery and a tone that blends resignation with a longing for continuity, Kees reflects on the influence of past experiences and memories on the present.

The poem opens with a direct address to the ghost: "No sudden leavetaking, by your grace, / This time, old ghost, so long abroad." The speaker pleads for the ghost to stay, suggesting a deep familiarity and an intertwined existence. The ghost is referred to as a "friend of this house," indicating a longstanding, intimate presence that has become integral to the speaker's life.

Kees uses the metaphor of a fire to symbolize the shared experiences and memories that bind the speaker and the ghost: "Warm all your evanescence by this fire / That burns the both of us for ending nights." This fire represents the warmth and pain of shared history, burning both the speaker and the ghost as they confront the passage of time and the end of their nights together.

The poem continues by describing the ghost's pervasive presence throughout the speaker's formative years: "All through my germinating years, you, unfatigued, / Obsessed the attic's dust, the cellar's dark, / Moaning belowstairs, creaking the doors." These lines paint a vivid picture of a childhood marked by the ghost's constant, though perhaps unsettling, company. The ghost's presence was a certainty that shaped the speaker's days.

However, the tone shifts as the speaker reflects on the ghost's absence: "And now the nights begin. Your absence, deedlessness, / Has bred long silence through the rooms. We haunt ourselves." The absence of the ghost has left a void, a silence that fills the house and the speaker's mind. The haunting has turned inward, suggesting that the speaker now grapples with internal ghosts—memories and regrets that haunt from within.

Kees employs powerful imagery to convey this internal haunting: "A shutter, pounding in the mind, / Old spiderwebs that drift behind the eyes, / A moaning in the heart that warns insistently." These lines evoke a sense of mental and emotional turmoil, as the speaker is haunted by persistent thoughts and feelings that are difficult to escape.

In a final plea, the speaker asks the ghost to stay: "Old ghost, friend of this house, remain! / What is there now to prod us toward / The past, our ruinous nostalgias?" The speaker acknowledges that the ghost serves as a connection to the past, a guide that stirs memories and nostalgia. Without the ghost, the speaker fears losing touch with these elements of their identity and history.

"Return of the Ghost" by Weldon Kees captures the complex relationship between the past and the present, and the way memories can both haunt and comfort. The poem’s rich imagery and reflective tone invite readers to contemplate the enduring impact of past experiences and the ghosts—both literal and metaphorical—that shape our lives. Through his evocative language, Kees explores the delicate balance between holding on to the past and facing the present, ultimately suggesting that the ghosts of our past are inextricably linked to our sense of self.

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