Caution & Awe
I would rather steer a song into flowers
than see your past self hurt, witness your regret
Over drugs or the years before novels
Bring me your hoodie intensity
Your tendency to be unable to hold your bladder
I want the all of you, the soul
Of the immigrant who translated Korean
In her bedroom as a reminder of who she is
Let’s not eat dinner, let’s create
Let’s accept love in what we do
Without any exchange, barter, trade
I know how it feels when a mother leaves
I would rather be an archaeologist
Of the human psyche than a lot of things
Where our fossil memory is connected
Strangely to our ancestors, I sometimes wonder
Will I even have direct decedents
Or only students of my mind , if that
There is no writing to be done, without
The commitment, honesty and labour
Of the thriving voice within, it knows
The epitaphs are made to be combined with flowers
You were the kind of flower whose
Fragrance lingered, enough for me
To proceed with utmost caution and awe
In my own translations of your poetic voice.
Wuji Seshat 