Leonardo Chung
Leonardo Chung is a freshman attending Korea International School in Seoul, South Korea. He is currently creating his writing portfolio and has been accepted to Juniper and Sewanee Young Writers camp.
waltzes of questions, eggwash, and puddles
if i dont find my violin
resting on the piano
where the dust of its rosin-caked
lands on the yellowed, untouched ivory keys
that waltzes once sang from
it might as well exhale
its last chipped madera breath
if i dont find a water bottle
in the electric cooler that whirs overnight
to spill its innards and quench my thirst
i wont be able to listen to the blank faces
teachers hand out to me
as i fail to answer a question
of the homework last night
if i dont find my hand lotion
on the dressing table
to embalm my knuckles
my skin might just crack like an egg
dropped against the kitchen counter
while drops of eggwash spill out of it
as it’s carried to the mixing bowl
if i dont find my rain boots
waiting for me at the front door’s rug
for a squeaky journey of puddles
in the classic new hampshire rain
i wont hear the clink of the metal engraving
against the hallway floors
like a penny that falls to the bottom of a fountain
Sheila-Na-Gig online 