Middle of Somewhere
Vaguely behind every winter of ambition
Their eyes warm, and cookies sleep deeply through problems
Hard-boiled eggs and children stretching
And the days try not to half
Playing football in a science school
You try to fit in a cool shirt, overdressed, overqualified
Youth cooled down while you put your tie—around your neck—red
Spring cheats with a smile where passion left
Spotted beard pretends to know
Wake up to midlife
Crisis baked and served
Problems with morning cereal
Laundry worn too many times
White lies
Small sigh of relief or reminisce
Errant Minutes
This morning lasted four seconds—
long enough for light to change its mind,
for the pot to think of boiling,
and forget.
Steam from the mug hadn’t even reached its curve
before light slipped from the table
and onto the wall,
then off again.
Voice folded into the air,
before the phone could ring its tune.
It waited there—
certain, I would need it later.
As light finally held still,
and my reflection—
breathing where I’d left it.
The air stiffened
and across that pause,
something small and weightless unfolded in my hands—
not sound,
but just the quiet after it.
Press to Play
Light spills across my face,
portraits of other lives glowing brighter than mine.
Smiles freeze in rectangles,
perfect mornings that never end.
I scroll until faces blur into one long pulse of brightness,
casting a shadow behind me of everything I’m not.
An afterimage hums behind my eyes,
light submerges into darkness
until I only see sounds.
Footsteps cross the ceiling like timpani,
each one tracking the same path
as the neighbours pace through my dream.
The alarm rings.
I press the same button,
promise the same five more minutes.
Light seeps through the curtain seam,
thin as a paper cut.
I move between bells,
each hallway reflecting the last.
I return to the room that remembers my shape—
the sunset dyes the linen orange.
Light seeps through to print a shadow
of everything I am.
The same blur of blue waiting,
soft, faithful as breath.
Sally Lee is a student at an international school in Seoul, South Korea. Immersed in a multicultural environment, she draws inspiration from the diverse cultures and experiences around her. She is currently working on her writing portfolio.
You can find more of Sally’s work here on Ink Pantry.