Last year saw the publication of Jiye Lee's tender and lyrical chapbook, 'Aftereffects'. It's a moving chapbook that skilfully encompasses the universal emotions we all feel throughout our lives - love, loss, grief - but is imbued with Jiye's personal experiences to make it all the more lingering.
Jiye has been writing some more poetry since we published 'Aftereffects', and we're proud to be able to share one of her poems, 하루 (Haru) here:
하루
This morning, I looked up to the sky
and saw a white arrowhead
gliding out of sight.
I breathed in the years gone by,
remembered the moment I gazed after one
soaring above me;
at that exact time, you were on your way to Egypt,
and I prayed so hard you’d arrive there safely.
The December air chills my skin
but the memory sheds tears
and warms my heart –
the thought of you returning
like a snowflake
falling
when I least expected it,
whispering 하루 – ‘Haru’ – another day.
All these are reminders you send me;
the bluest of skies
skewered by contrails,
the light of the rising sun on a cold winter’s day –
how you surround me in the smallest of things
if I take the time to stop and meditate-
time goes fast
but returns slowly, circling
back to a place, a home
I can never leave.
You can keep up to date with Jiye on twitter at @jiyelee21 and Instagram at @jiyelee21.
Buy 'Aftereffects' here in paperback.