by Seohyun Ryu
stranger
handed me a white rose
i didn’t want to ruin the luscious petals of his
and i didn’t want to let him go
so i clutched onto its stem
tighter and tighter…
he was too mesmerized by his petals
he never knew that
the stem dripped sticky red sap staining the tips of my shoes
now he has to go please don’t go
his back buried in my face please don't go
slowly blending into my blurry vision please don’t go
i threw the rose out of my bloody hands
and stepped on it as i ran for his shape to morph back
i hugged his back
he turned into water
splashed down my feet
shoes soggy wet stains spread to red roses
i didn’t know
i was hugging myself instead
grasping onto my shirt
drowning into my body
why are you still
a stranger?
Seohyun Ryu is passionate in connecting the study of language and storytelling through various forms of art.. She moved to California during her first year of high school from South Korea. Her works have been recognized by Outlander Zine, The 309 Collective, LA Youth Poet Laureate, and much more. She is currently working on her first book to make her childhood dreams come true.