all my thoughts had gone to riot
so i set out to find some quiet
but even way behind the city’s lights
the silence here is not as bright

the roads are crowded with noisy cars
screams and hollers, the sounds of bars
pool tables, beer bottles, the music loud
relinquished solace in fiery cloud

despite the throbbing in my walking legs
my steady stalking refused to stay
and my soles engulfed in a blistering heat
could not stop me from seeing every street

cats in the trash and moths and bones
the racket i heard was mine alone

never felt this but i know every bone
in your hand. i’ll never let you be alone
again. hold me close, iced coffee in the cold
on a bench by a pond at a palace
you made Seoul feel just like home

your cold nose pressed to my cheek
as you kissed me in the street
i said
i’ll be with you for forty years, love
you said
i’m sorry, that’s not long enough

you can’t because you don’t try
you won’t feel the sky
eyes only for ghost lines
the way beauty cries
and wails from the sailing
of the birds and trees
and people in the street
of their lives and tales
they try and fail
and try again and win
the desires within
lovelorn or love scorned
head over heels or reborn
left behind or leading life
brilliant and serene
you dismiss this scene
with eyes of sleet
for a feed on a screen