Sleepover with Korean Thrillers
I want to write a poem for Korean thrillers, an ode
for Train to Busan and tangled bedsheets,
the secrets of a good girl and dimming lamp lights.
If I can find it, I want to whisper in her ear, quiet
enough so her parents don’t hear, loud enough
so she knows to wrap her Hello Kitty blanket tighter
around my waist. At the movie’s climax,
when the dad sacrifices himself to the zombies, I remember
her mom had a small balcony in the guest room
with white straw chairs that tipped over when
you leaned in too far
and how her bedroom was more like a corn maze
where you could spend days hiding inside
all her hardbound bibles if you didn’t know
how to stop. As I watched, I jumped
watching the zombies bite
the main character's arm until you could see her
CGI white bones. I didn’t like Korean thrillers
as much as I liked her, and how she’d let me
jump into her if I was scared and how
during end credits, if I wanted to push the limits
of hesitancy, she’d let me, but only for a night.
for Train to Busan and tangled bedsheets,
the secrets of a good girl and dimming lamp lights.
If I can find it, I want to whisper in her ear, quiet
enough so her parents don’t hear, loud enough
so she knows to wrap her Hello Kitty blanket tighter
around my waist. At the movie’s climax,
when the dad sacrifices himself to the zombies, I remember
her mom had a small balcony in the guest room
with white straw chairs that tipped over when
you leaned in too far
and how her bedroom was more like a corn maze
where you could spend days hiding inside
all her hardbound bibles if you didn’t know
how to stop. As I watched, I jumped
watching the zombies bite
the main character's arm until you could see her
CGI white bones. I didn’t like Korean thrillers
as much as I liked her, and how she’d let me
jump into her if I was scared and how
during end credits, if I wanted to push the limits
of hesitancy, she’d let me, but only for a night.
January / February 2023
Yujia Li is a senior at William Mason High School. Her work has been recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and she participated in the 2022 Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Double Yolk, a publication featuring poets of color and their journeys.
Art: Kimberlee Frederick. The Magician Under My Skin. Digital Collage, 2022