Here

By Alina Lee

The middle-aged men
wearing a fuzzy, apricot hood
and a brand-new purple hat
waves towards a child
who is running across the street 
with a big smile on his face 

The young man,
leaning towards an old wall
made of reddish bricks and grey stones
is wrapped around a brown leather jacket
and a white turtle-neck. 

crossing the street light 
with a crooked expression, 
A teenage girl with her right eyebrow lifted
both her ears are covered
with a set of headset 
that is decorated with stars-stickers 

A student wearing a uniform
is riding bicycle across the river,
her hair fluttering golden in sunlight. 
Holding a briefcase in one hand 
and a light-blue  duffel bad bag behind her back, 
she closed her eyes
sniffing the soothing smell of soil and grass; 

A street-singer
wearing hot-pink skinny jean
recites her song atop of a brisk cardboard box. 
Holding her guitar one hand 
and a bottle of water on another, 
she looks up into the sky, 
up into the baking sun. 

Alina Lee is a high school student at an international school in Seoul, South Korea. Her writing explores memory, identity, and the quiet moments between people. When she’s not writing, she enjoys hiking, running, and playing the ukulele. Her work is inspired by the natural world and the rhythms of everyday life.