dear hwang-og

i’ve always wished for my name to be one of a gem.

reason number one: to be something people paid millions for to glitter in the halogen flash to bring the stretching smile to a face full of brown smudges spread the iridescent light to be held in one’s hand so tight let the veins rise be a magnetic force the merchants all the way from gangnam follow each hold a high price worth being determined

reason number two: to be crafted a sculpted under a steady hand be polished and rinsed till crystal clear carefully placed on the dark feathered pouch

in the spotlight let the sun bow to you—dim its lights the eyes are on you it becomes inanimate-like open up the silk threaded curtains release the bleached light in the ocean of pitch black for when the lights away flicker like candle in the night of fierce rustling they become one you are a museum for i am nothing like you—have the ability to turn invisible yet cannot turn it off in the museum i stand the spotlight on me those walk away being an empty case perhaps as there is no more of me no one knows who i am

dear kitty

i heard you go by kitty now you blame it on the pronunciation though da-in wasn’t that hard it’s been awhile how have you been i haven’t heard much from you are you doing okay how is hawaii treating you are you happy are you sad it’ll be all good what does one say patience is key i bet you have cavities munching on that melted caramel candy with the silver sprayed lotte wrapper so loud i’ve told you your laughter was like white noise i sincerely apologize perhaps it was just my mood do you still carry around the ring from mun-gang gu that does not fit you anymore the glazed color spectrum used to be around you fingers change colors in the sunlight and even in the lamp perched in front of the old haunted looking house where two people apparently died do you remember the pecan door white from the dust and the windows of cobwebs but not a single spider a young couple moved in a couple weeks ago almost for free renovated from top to bottom now it looks like an episode from ebs’s modern houses is it funny now is it now you would carry yourself an elite and maybe you were then we would all want to be with you with your real imported for us jansports not the one from yasijang on gil-dong street carve your initials on to the desk a rebel i would say till you got in trouble and blamed boy in the grade below bestowed with your unfortunate D.L. no remorse no remorse not now you were a legacy too quickly forgotten too many too glad to replace even your carved initials now belong to that little boy oh what he left is yours yet no one would know you were a current chilling and disappearing without a trace wish you were here we all miss you in the empty classrooms it is now a bed and breakfast