Where the hell is the crazy glue when you need it?Hold those things together that fall apart.Chipping here, a crack … More
Author: Lanning Lee
Aging Song VI
Rage all you like against the dying light.It’s a sad joke to think in some wayYou’ll somehow stay the night. … More
Aging Song (5)
I’ve heard it. Read it. Maybe you have, too?To simply exist is not trulyLiving life. So what is it,If you’re living each moment … More
Aging Song (4)
All those frozen memories thawing loose.Fragments unstuck, warming moments.Mine, those panned gold nuggets glittering up. With many false fool glistenings … More
Aging Song (3)
I sing to myself, more hum in my head, The radio soundtrack of youthStuck in my brain, lyrics poorly recalledMore often … More
Aging Song (2)
The younger me could never see omens,Oblivious to foreshadow,Now shining into focus from behind,Backward looking glass reflecting reversedThat younger me … More
Aging Song
The damnedest blocking up of living long,Strapped in by bands and iron barsFrom which desire could never break away.Life sapped … More
Harabeoji
My paternal grandfather,My harabeoji, born and raised inKorea, spoke little English,And I spoke barely anyKorean, so I never had anActual … More
Jigsaw Puzzle
Piece #1 After graduating fromAustin High in Chicago, my mom,Offered a modeling job,Had also been acceptedTo both the Universities ofChicago … More
Of a Feather
My parents loved animalsOf all kinds. This is the one thing ILearned from them that’s shaped me most.Our home, a menagerieEqual … More
You Win Some, You Lose One
You Win Some, You Lose One Dad, on the boxing teamFor UW Madison,Didn’t realize heWas in training for combat.He wasn’t … More
Existence
My dad completed hisCollege freshman year beforeBeing drafted intoWorld War II. For the next fourYears, a paratrooper withThe 504th, 82ndAirborne Division, … More
Decaf Me
First time in KoreaI would hunt high and lowFor decaf coffee.Everywhere they’d stare,Their brows crinkling a mixture:Pity and anger,Raising fingers … More
Almost Manna
Bulbuls devour myHawaiian chili peppersScarf them all downLeave me nothing butPerhaps for you a free plantThank random poopingLike bitter melonVines … More
Thank Goodness
The happiness of intoxication among strangers, good peopleTalking among folks from all over the world who haveThis one thing in … More
My Glass of Water
Here’s my rough draft for today, Sunday 06.21.26 My Glass of Water Good or bad, happy or sad, right or … More
Completing the Picture
Here’s my rough draft for today, Saturday 06.20.26 Completing the Picture An older man. An oldering, moldering man. The oldest … More
Smoke
Here’s my rough draft for today, Tuesday 06.02.26 Smoke Mark Twain said that quitting smoking was the easiest thing in … More
We Mortals Be
Here’s my rough draft for today, Saturday 05.30.26. We Mortals Be It may not be a universally acknowledged truth. It should: … More
Strictly Statistically
Here’s my rough draft for today, Thursday 05.28.26. Strictly Statistically It is a little-known fact, but O.H. and I were … More
