To Ask of Life

A tree concealing a blinding sun

A poem by Seungmin Kim

What should I do in this life?

I cannot ask this to my moth

er, who sits on the bed

For she would stroke my hair with soft fingers

And whisper in my ear that I am far too young

To be asking such difficult questions

What should I do in this life?

I have tried asking my father, who is in the kitchen now

Waiting for the cookies to bake and the milk to warm

So that he might come in with an armful of happiness

And beam as he pours upon us buckets full of joy

What should I do in this life?

Sister might know the answer to this, for she is older than I

And seems to have asked all the questions that I 

Have heard the birds sing to their children in their sleep

But she is far, far, far away from me, and I cannot reach her tonight

What should I do in this life? 

I should try to ask Grandmother, for she’d surely tell me

Especially on nights that I might curl up in her arms

Beside the fireplace that illuminates the room 

In hues of stunning sunsets and unforgettable simplicity

Seungmin Kim is a diligent scholar enrolled in an international school in Hong Kong. He is meticulously curating his compilation of written works to fortify his candidacy for admission to esteemed academic institutions.