Mustard Flowers Falling

by Tanya Ko Hong

            1

a yellow cab stops in the dark

dark clouds cover half the moon

water is boiling in the rusty kettle

she smells like peppermint

the cat's eyes like a neon sign

outside the rainy window

you are reading a line in a poem

slowly

            slowly

petals of dried flowers

drop on your knees

a woman leaves 

after brushing her teeth

with your old tooth brush 

            2

with your old toothbrush

after brushing her teeth

a woman leaves

drop on your knees

petals of dried flowers

            slowly

slowly

you are reading a line in a poem

outside the rainy window

the cat's eyes like a neon sign

she smells like peppermint

water is boiling in the rusty kettle

dark clouds cover half the moon

a yellow cab stops in the dark 

* * * * *

"Mustard Flowers Falling" was first published by Berkeley Korean Literature Society (2016) and reprinted by the Los Angeles Poet Society (2018) and is part of Tanya Ko Hong's collection The WAR still within (KYSO Flash Press, 2019)

Tanya Ko Hong (Hyonhye) is a poet, translator, and cultural curator who champions bilingual poetry and poets. Born and raised in Suk Su Dong, South Korea, she immigrated to the U.S. at the age of eighteen. She is the author of five books: The War Still Within (KYSO Flash Press, 2019); Mother to Myself, a collection of poems in Korean (Prunsasang Press, 2015); Yellow Flowers on a Rainy Day (Oma Books of the Pacific, 2003); Mother’s Diary of Generation 1.5 (Qumran, 2002); and Generation 1.5 (Korea: Esprit Books, 1993).

Author’s website: http://www.tanyakohong.com