I Tap The Chopsticks Continuously and Other Poems

By JK Kim

I Tap The Chopsticks Continuously

Warm steam tides around the dining table, 
the scent of olive oil and garlic fills our noses. 

The sound of country pop from the speaker fills the room. 

My mom asks about my day.

“It was fine,” I responded in my exhausted voice. 
With some anger, she shot a look at the table and said, “More details?” 

Across from my table, my sister laughed and mocked me as I spoke about my day. 

With irritation, I tap the chopsticks continuously, 
As melody calmed my nerves. 

I rapidly finish my food as I walk towards my room.

Rummaging Through my Pencil Case

Saturn's rings are not as rare as we think.
They are made of rocky particles and dust.
Rings can be around asteroids too.

I brushed my teeth this morning.
The toothbrush scraped the roof of my mouth.
It fell to the tile floor. 

Highly energetic charged particles surround our planet.
The belts expand and contract according to solar activity.
Sometimes they swell into one massive unit.

I walked to my bus stop to go to school.
While walking, I was late and missed the bus. 
I rode the taxi to school. 

Mercury is already the smallest planet in the solar system.
The second-densest after Earth
Fault scarps are relatively small.

I took out my pencil for biology notes. 
Rummaging through my pencil case, I noticed all my pencils were broken.
I had to go and ask my friend for a spare.

Inside The Vessel

The grotesque creature stares at me with its big, bold eyes. 

Its body is covered in purple and blue spots. 
The curved beak seizes onto its mouth. 

Orange fur pervades its neck. 

From the vessel, it stirs its eyes and gazes right back at me. 

Its claws thump the jar repeatedly as I am startled. 
The hair in the spine opens as the black liquid of toxic disperses. 

Its body quivers from the uncanny uproar. 
The tumult inside the jar rings. 

Its black eye surges, 
 
The malformed leg slowly approaches me, 
as it crevices through the face of the vessel. 

JK Kim is an ambitious student at Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg, VA. His interests lie in creative writing, particularly in short stories and poetry. During his free time, he enjoys playing golf and pursuing photography as a means of expression and inspiration.