A Studio Apartment in munhak-dong

Originally published as an Honourable Mention in Gemini Magazine’s Poetry Open on 31 May 2024

one midnight,

when the sky felt too heavy,

and my room was a hurricane,

I reached under my left breast,

placed a bomb in my mother’s arms

and prayed that she cradled it like a newborn miracle.

she said: my child,

when your heart leaps to your throat

and pulses on your faith,

breathe deeply,

centre yourself on its effortlessness.

your breath is a promise of tomorrow,

but tomorrow, you must fight alone.