by Yunseo Choi

something sticky and deadly dripped from my hands

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you came in the middle of blistering summer,
left me sour and stinging in the middle of the gravel road,
trying not to scream at the indifferent night sky.
that summer, i hated the people covered in sticky sweat and soda,
hated the fireworks that popped cherry-sweet in a sea of starless black.
i hated the privilege of nature, its ability to forget and forgive,
envied the scorn of the pedestrians as i stood and melted into the rain.
something sticky and deadly dripped from my hands.
whether it was blood or lemon juice i could never guess,
but whether it was love or hate, it consumed me all the same,
leaving me red-eyed and breathless in the dying throes of summer.

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© Yunseo Choi

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Yunseo Choi (she/they) is a poet and writer living in Seoul, South Korea. She has been writing ever since they were eleven years old, and her favorite book is “The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt. She has previously been accepted for publication in Paper Cranes Literary Magazine, Harmony Magazine, Cloudgazer Magazine, Eloquentia, and Young Writers Journal. You can find them on Instagram at @writtenbyyunseo.

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