How many times can one say “I love you”
before it begins to lose meaning?
How many times can the words be formed
before the lungs are purged of breath,
before the mouth and the mind diverge
into separate things?
How many times can one be loved
as a babe warm in the mother’s womb,
a lotus in morning light blazed abloom,
a shiver by the horizon’s crest,
a lilting tune from bone and breast,
a misted pair of drawings on rainy panes,
a hand that holds and does naught to gain,
a fisherman’s boat braving cloud and sea,
a tomato garden that grows on rusted eaves,
a bruised eye bandaged from a midnight brawl,
a painted remnant of a wistful wedding hall,
a handmade sweater stitched and sewn,
a pigeon always knowing the way home,
a missing that has gone on too long,
a bird mid-flight, giving way to song—
—how many times can one be loved,
and still have love
left
to give?
About the Author
Heeseo (Kay) Lee is a senior attending Korea International School in Seoul. She is a burgeoning young poet and writer who has attended the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio and Kenyon Young Writers’ Workshop, and been recognized by the Scholastics Art and Writing Awards. She is the co-founder and editor in chief of The Zinnia Anthology, which is now accepting submissions for its first issue. When she is not busy writing, she enjoys exploring neurobiological phenomena and performing taekwondo routines.
The Zinnia Anthology: https://thezinniaanthology.myportfolio.com/home https://www.instagram.com/k_h_l_523/ https://www.instagram.com/thezinnia.anthology/
