on being lost (in translation) again
by Katie Hong
land bleeds open where rivers
merge, the earth's sinews carving deep. she is
the 딸 of a skeleton country. where
bones sour to brittleness & new technology carves
slivers out of stars. 개나리 blooms at the nape
of its neck, blurring bravery & blood,
fable & fortune. she is the 손녀 of
a homeland fumbling for its face. when she speaks
her voice is everyone's but her own. summertime
& the air tastes like a headache. sun spills
out of the frame—heavy, mythic heat i miss
like a phantom pain. its name sears legacies
across the skin of gilded monuments. 한국
prays to heaven as america loves those who dare
to fly too close to the sun, hooking its jaws
around home. sinking fangs into flesh as i slowly
strain this 모국어 from my tongue. i am a seed
scattered to the wind. blown away from home,
constellating the night like 선녀와 나무꾼.
⸺
Translations of the Korean
딸: daughter개나리: gaenari, Forsythia koreana
손녀: granddaughter
한국: country of Korea
모국어: mother language
선녀와 나무꾼: heavenly maiden & the woodcutter, a childhood tale about the reason behind sadness
Katie Hong is a Korean-American senior who is (barely) making it through high school. She is a lover of magical realism, perfectly-formed seashells, and Ghibli films. She tweets @starglazedseas.