Ad Libitum by Lauren Hyunseo Cho (17, South Korea)*

Grip the neck and adjust the pegs
lightly,
set the bow down
diaphanously
upon the strings.

---

Trace your fingers
on the wooden shell -
your wonderland
forged
from the last breaths
of rotting tigers and magpies.
 
Feel the melody rush
through your hollowed heart,
paint yourself in white
marble,
fingers dancing
on the windpipe.
Whirl in the guilt
that slices
your hands,
too many cultured cuts
to count.
 
Adopt your ancestors,
Vieuxtemps, Beethoven,
waltz in a marinated stupor,
the sunrise
crumbles from your skin.​