Winter Wind
Eyes reflect the flickering lanterns
waiting for the ringing of the doorbell and the tapping of heels.
A white tail swirls, catching in the branches,
while snowflakes dance outside, flying in the wind.
A blanket of white rests silently on the splintered wood.
Frosty December Evenings
were filled with whispers of Santa’s sleigh
cutting through the midnight sky as I looked out the window,
eight years old, convinced I could
see the shimmer of Santa’s sleigh streaking across the stars,
or hear the jingle of the bells outside our window.
Red stockings glittered where they hung;
presents were wrapped in green.
“Children see magic because they look for it.”
I looked for magic in the half-eaten cookies and the thank-you note
from Santa written in loopy script;
I hoped for a jolly man in a red suit to arrive and for a red-nosed reindeer
to whisk me away.
Years later, the sparkling lights have become decoration;
I no longer force myself awake,
straining to hear the sound of sleigh bells on the roof.
Instead, the spark remains
in the laughter of the children,
in gifts being unwrapped,
in the sound of Christmas carols lightly crooning childhood
enchantment.
Magic is never gone; it is hidden beneath red carpets on
silent, starry Christmas nights,
waiting to be found again.
Midnight Sky
Lanterns flicker over the Han River market, casting
pools of amber across the stalls.
The scent of fresh-baked hotteok and grilled mackerel
accompany the vendor’s yells.
Cutting through the dimming stars as we looked out to the open,
searching for hope in the cold, dark sky,
the sound of cheerful tunes lightly whispering for innocence.
Dreams are never gone; they are hidden behind the stars
on silent summer nights.
Karen Lee is a high school from South Korea and currently attending school in Virginia. She has an unquenchable passion for both writing and drawing. In preparation for her future academic endeavors, she is diligently compiling her writing portfolio and has recently received an acceptance to Iowa Young Writer’s Studio, a distinguished program that identifies and nurtures emerging writing talent.
Featured image by Ian Schneider.
