storm
you’re caught halfway through breathing in.
your head feels squeezed, compressed, compressed until there’s nothing left
as the world blazes up in blue,
blinding, like the sun off of ice caps at midday.
someone tears the sky apart at its seams
with a sound that crashes through the sky that is the ocean
on an overcast day where the sun shines white, not yellow.
the tear rips your heart apart
you hadn’t patched it up as strong as you imagined
as nothing is any longer
but only an outline of itself
in colors so faded
they look like they must have been bleached in
moonlight.
then the pounding
which you wonder,
is it in your head or on the windows
and when you realize it’s both
you approach the divide
thinking it’s an unfamiliar man
clawing to be let in.
but sometimes, just for a moment,
everything drops out
and there’s nothing but nothing
and the normalcy is more frightening.
morbidly exhilarated by your own fear,
feeling the pulse of the blood inside of you and the
liquid that falls so vehemently from the sky quicken,
at moments where the colors give way to darkness
you put up your hand and find
that the darkness probably bled out of you into the sky
and not the other way around.
you’re caught halfway through breathing in.
your head feels squeezed, compressed, compressed until there’s nothing left
as the world blazes up in blue,
blinding, like the sun off of ice caps at midday.
someone tears the sky apart at its seams
with a sound that crashes through the sky that is the ocean
on an overcast day where the sun shines white, not yellow.
the tear rips your heart apart
you hadn’t patched it up as strong as you imagined
as nothing is any longer
but only an outline of itself
in colors so faded
they look like they must have been bleached in
moonlight.
then the pounding
which you wonder,
is it in your head or on the windows
and when you realize it’s both
you approach the divide
thinking it’s an unfamiliar man
clawing to be let in.
but sometimes, just for a moment,
everything drops out
and there’s nothing but nothing
and the normalcy is more frightening.
morbidly exhilarated by your own fear,
feeling the pulse of the blood inside of you and the
liquid that falls so vehemently from the sky quicken,
at moments where the colors give way to darkness
you put up your hand and find
that the darkness probably bled out of you into the sky
and not the other way around.
mistake
by garam noh
your fingers play with those
golden buttons sewn on so evenly
and touch the cuffs
stroking the stitches, running your hands over
you shift your weight to your arms,
leaning on the edge of the table
white sleeves peeking out from under
as a side note
plain white shirts are the way to go
you seem to think otherwise but
red?
not your color
shoulders broad, you’re talking
using big words pronunciation accuracy rate
somewhere below fifty
but who cares
because your voice
it’s nice
it’s husky
or maybe it’s a cold
you prat
you wear that blazer like a blue cape
you know you look good in it
and i know
you know
i’ve been staring too long
because when i look up
you’re looking back.
by garam noh
your fingers play with those
golden buttons sewn on so evenly
and touch the cuffs
stroking the stitches, running your hands over
you shift your weight to your arms,
leaning on the edge of the table
white sleeves peeking out from under
as a side note
plain white shirts are the way to go
you seem to think otherwise but
red?
not your color
shoulders broad, you’re talking
using big words pronunciation accuracy rate
somewhere below fifty
but who cares
because your voice
it’s nice
it’s husky
or maybe it’s a cold
you prat
you wear that blazer like a blue cape
you know you look good in it
and i know
you know
i’ve been staring too long
because when i look up
you’re looking back.
No child left behind
By Garam Noh
he wrapped his arms around himself
hiding from the shadows only he could see
the rest of us knew they were there, too
but they never bothered us.
we could never quite step on them
and whenever we stopped and turned around,
our shadows would have stopped, too,
frozen, only to go back to their little
torturing game
when we stopped paying attention.
So it wasn’t wrong, we reasoned,
because we hated that he could see our shadows
and once he was no longer a “he,” but an “it,”
we could forget for a moment
then pick up his pieces, shredded with our own hands,
with sympathy in our eyes.
no, our shadows were not our own
we told ourselves.
and no, even if they were,
it was other people’s shadows that did the work.
ours were only guilty by association.
and the biggest lie we never told was
that we were sorry.
By Garam Noh
he wrapped his arms around himself
hiding from the shadows only he could see
the rest of us knew they were there, too
but they never bothered us.
we could never quite step on them
and whenever we stopped and turned around,
our shadows would have stopped, too,
frozen, only to go back to their little
torturing game
when we stopped paying attention.
So it wasn’t wrong, we reasoned,
because we hated that he could see our shadows
and once he was no longer a “he,” but an “it,”
we could forget for a moment
then pick up his pieces, shredded with our own hands,
with sympathy in our eyes.
no, our shadows were not our own
we told ourselves.
and no, even if they were,
it was other people’s shadows that did the work.
ours were only guilty by association.
and the biggest lie we never told was
that we were sorry.
farewell ride
you opened your eyes
afraid of being behind the wall,
finding comfort in forward motion,
looking to the shadows of what just was.
something in the pit of your stomach
you wanted to hold on but really
tomorrow just stopped you in your tracks
you opened your eyes
afraid of being behind the wall,
finding comfort in forward motion,
looking to the shadows of what just was.
something in the pit of your stomach
you wanted to hold on but really
tomorrow just stopped you in your tracks
Soft tears and a Hero’s goodbye
These stars the beautiful Kalypso bade him
Hold on his left hand as he crossed the main. (5.286~5.287)
Then the sweet nymph returned to her sea-hallowed
caves, eyes full of wistfulness and regret.
She sang a lonely song that would have made
any mortal weep, but Zeus, king of skies,
would shed not a tear for a child of Atlas.
Then Kalypso, the loveliest goddess,
Stopped her sad song at the pleas of her maids,
Put out the fire of her charred hearth and
Slept in a bed made empty
By the space where Odysseus had laid.
But the skies stirred and the ocean churned by
The force of Poseidon, stormbringer and
earthshaker, bringing Kalypso out of deep sleep.
Onto the shore she took a gentle step,
Her eyes raised in sorrow towards the stormy sky.
Seventeen nights and days in the open water
He sailed, before a dark shoreline appeared; (5.288~5.289)
These stars the beautiful Kalypso bade him
Hold on his left hand as he crossed the main. (5.286~5.287)
Then the sweet nymph returned to her sea-hallowed
caves, eyes full of wistfulness and regret.
She sang a lonely song that would have made
any mortal weep, but Zeus, king of skies,
would shed not a tear for a child of Atlas.
Then Kalypso, the loveliest goddess,
Stopped her sad song at the pleas of her maids,
Put out the fire of her charred hearth and
Slept in a bed made empty
By the space where Odysseus had laid.
But the skies stirred and the ocean churned by
The force of Poseidon, stormbringer and
earthshaker, bringing Kalypso out of deep sleep.
Onto the shore she took a gentle step,
Her eyes raised in sorrow towards the stormy sky.
Seventeen nights and days in the open water
He sailed, before a dark shoreline appeared; (5.288~5.289)