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Mother

TANE KIM
She walks alone.
Her details are hard to make out. They are like shards of glass,
Reflecting everything that is but her own.
She is unnoticeable at first glance, a dying flame
An undefined form, or a wisp of smoke.

Her figure distorts the surrounding landscape
And shuffles hesitantly through the terrain of existence
Or, rather, existence makes space for her to move through.
​
//

A shadow forms beside her; it begins 
From inside- a genesis of what can only 
Be described as her heart’s most sincere desire. She feels it 
Grow like a fast approaching light; it soon
Takes shape outward. 

Wherever she goes, it follows faithfully.
It soon rises up to join her. And 
For a brief moment, she holds its hand,

Closes her eyes, and steps with intent.
She is a (violinist. Her hand strums the fibres 
Of its) delicate figure, and her tongue cries
Words that resonate like 
A freed canary. For all she can feel and think and touch, she

Is a creator- a god. She twirls its fingers and dances
With its frail body, her will being manifested with each touch.
The shadow wavers :: but she does not stop.

It tries to let go :::: but she pretends to not notice
And she grips his fingers :::::: tighter to the point where 
They shatter like nylon strings ::::::: and
It groans in pain :::::::::: It hangs on her feet
:::::::::::: As she drags it anywhere, everywhere

//

However, soon the moment passes.
Once the shadow grows in strength, it lets go hurriedly
And vanishes without a word.

She tries to recreate it, tries to grasp onto it
One last time before it dissolves like sugar
Into a mere memory.
She even asks for forgiveness,
But it hides.

Or, rather, existence makes space for her to move through.
And shuffles hesitantly through the terrain of existence
Her figure distorts the surrounding landscape

An undefined form, or a wisp of smoke-
She is unnoticeable at first glance, a dying flame
Reflecting everything that is but her own
Her details are hard to make out. They are like shards of glass,
She walks alone.

She
walks
a l o n e.
Tane Kim is a young poet living in the suburbs of New York. Much of his work centers around ideas of growing up and parenthood, and his work has been recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, The New York Times Student Editorial Contest, and The American Library of Poetry. In his free time, Tane loves to run track and play table tennis.
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  • Home
    • Submit
    • About >
      • Mission
      • Resources
      • FAQ
      • Contact Us
    • Masthead
  • Issues
    • Issue I
    • Issue II
    • Issue III
    • Issue IV
    • Issue V