THE FEEL

The Feel

One Saturday morning

I saw early rays of sunlight

Beaming through verdant, cedar trees.

All I could see was the finish line in front

Looking so far, yet so close–

It lingered like a distant mirage,

an unattainable dream.

I thought every part of me hurt—

My ankles, feet, and joints.

Tasting the bitter stain of blood lingering in my mouth,

I turned around to see a familiar face,

crouching aside and taking a breath.

I wanted to rest and catch a breath—

Yet I kept my body moving,

Catching that feisty voice of coach,

Cheering from faraway.

I closed my eyes, and kept sprinting forward.

Forward and forward I went

and faster and faster my heartbeat raced.

A sensation in my throat bubbled up,

One mixed with persistence and determination.

As for a moment it felt as if

I was levitating in thin air,

A mystical sensation I have yet felt before.

Then, as I crossed the finished line,

Together with an intense spiral of adrenaline,

This burst of instant catharsis took place—

Hyping me up with euphoric ecstasy.

Twilight

Instead of saying goodbye

I cast a glance at you,

and then looked away

Instead of giving me a hug

You cast a glance at me,

as you wandered faraway.

Though I still think of you,

Every now and then—

your nostalgia creeping over,

like an echo overdue;

Though I still feel your presence,

lingering here and there—

your absence leaning over,

like a shadow at dusk.

I think we knew all along

Cosmos of Mind

Through the tomograph’s tungsten lens,

I saw a strange constellation, like that of the cosmos —

It was shaped like a labyrinth.

The ephemeral nature of the scene drew a paradox

to the striking intricacy of the view—

And a myriad of nebulae flashed beyond my sight,

pulses send here and there.

Its flashing vista encapsulated me

in a state of utter perplexity,

And caught me mesmerized

by its ever-enigmatic nature.

Then was when, amidst the cascade of vividness,

where I witnessed a wild tempest,

an enigmatic oblivion, the cosmos of my mind.

Alina Lee is a high school student at an international school in Seoul, South Korea. Her writing explores memory, identity, and the quiet moments between people. When she's not writing, she enjoys hiking, running, and playing the ukulele. Her work is inspired by the natural world and the rhythms of everyday life.