Horseback

by Hwi-Jong Ryu (April 2025)

Two Horses Fighting in a Stormy Landscape (Eugène Delacroix, 1828)

–

Would you believe me if I told you
that together I can hear the earth drum?
For you it must be footsteps.
–
Would you believe me if I told you
that the sunlight comes through crystal?
For you it must be paper.
–
Would you believe me if I told you
that the sound is but a man’s cry?
For you it must be cannons.
–
Would you believe me if I told you
that the pain comes only from a boy’s heel?
For you it must be knives.
–
Would you believe me if I told you
that the wind bows before your strides?
For you it must be a gentle breeze.
–
Would I believe you if you told me
that you were listening?
And yet you seem still—still as the plain where your kind once roamed.
–

 

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Hwi-Jong Ryu is a student in South Korea who writes poetry and fiction exploring movement, memory, and identity. He also plays the double bass and enjoys long-distance running, both of which inform his writing. He is currently preparing his writing portfolio for university.

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