we only dare live
in the depth of night; i fumble the words to the lyrics of your body
as i wonder when you enchanted me
with your fairytale eyes
is love supposed to taste like an elegy? i toss my prayers like flowers into the night
wonder what my family would write as my biography
i count each of your breaths as if it’s your last; try to stretch imagination into eternity
your arms hold solace like grief. capture me in my 
paralysis
nothing about your body is a cliché. sometimes i wish it was
and we could be a real fairytale: i could ride the well-ridden grooves of paths safely travelled
perhaps catch joy spilling from your mouth
instead of the taste of ashes.

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Matthew (Myeong) Baek is a South Korean immigrant & queer poet currently attending high school in California. He enjoys baking for his friends and family, as well as writing in his spare time. In the past, he has attended the Kenyon Young Writers Workshop, and has been recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.