Dancing in the Dark by Soheon Rhee (12, Philippines)

The sonamu branch criss-crossed
the sky resembling barbed wires.

Under the trees, on their formica 
countertop, the neighbors were baking

kneading dough while we lit the stove 
and sautéed japchae on the pan. ​

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Pounding rain outside receded through
the hallway and we left the noodles

plated near the windowsill where 
we could see the sun clotting 

the horizon, waiting until our black 
silhouettes melted in the frothing 

shallows of the lake below,
our shadows dancing in the dark.

​