The past few weeks
I helped to clear out my father’s office space
While he lay in a coma for several weeks
A surgery gone foul
A scalpel at the wrong place
His life stripped out of existence
Silent on the bed
I rummage through his cubbies
Fishing out paper after paper of numerical babble
Finding a bag of hidden beef jerky resting on its side
Teriyaki flavored
And half empty
Took it home to where it belonged
In my silent room
In the pitch darkness of the night
I stare at the screen, trying to forget his face on the hospital floor
Opening the bag
He has left me a gift of jagged pieces of jerky
With tough edges that he refused to eat
Chewing on the expired bits of jerky,
his gone hands texture the meat
While my tears season every bite with remorse
Poem by David Kim
Image by Adam Strong
David Kim is a high school student at Seoul International School in South Korea who has a passion for writing. He is currently working hard to build his portfolio for university applications. When he is not writing, David can be found listening to music, playing video games, or exploring new places in the city. He is excited to see where his writing journey takes him and hopes to share his work with others
Backwards Trajectory 