[Poetry] Notes from the plane

Read the winning entry for our 24-hour writing contest, Snapshots From Abroad.

Notes from the plane
by Kathryn Attwood

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
He warned me of the Saigon kiss
the hiss
of pain that left my lips
the brand
a passing touch of an exhaust
can burn into the skin
and bleed
and heal 
but still exist
for years
and several thousand miles
from the chaos 
that caused it
a souvenir I did not want 
but that I do not regret
one bit 

*

Hạ Long Bay, Vietnam 
They say a sleeping dragon resides
deep beneath the bay 
and yet, weave the thousand ridges of her back
on tiny boats
day after day
but somehow time convinced  
the greenest trees that it was safe
so they flourished into forests
undisturbed for centuries
but the locals admit
they still don’t know how many isles exist
or does the number keep on changing 
when the sleeping dragon shifts?

*

Hanoi, Vietnam
I slipped in Hanoi 
on my way to book street 
the rain slick tiles
littered with city life
swallowed by a gutter
waist deep
but I didn’t stay down
climbed out
and turned the corner 
to another chapter
called new beginnings street
with wet feet
and ruined shoes
old and new
temple
tree
cafe
view
…
I’ll walk
until I find the street
where I finally meet you 

*

Seoul, South Korea
Do you ever think about
those old Seoul days we spent
beneath the blossoming canopy
of cherry pink leaves
watching the flowers fall slowly?

The world looks different
in winter
without you.

Now I can see straight to the stars.

*

Seoul, South Korea
I think you ruined Bukhansan
changed all that it means
tainted the red temples
polluted crystal springs

You’re conjured deep inside the forest
I catch your face between the trees
and hear your laughter in the small bells
that try to beckon me

The golden statues judge in silence
my despair all that they see
there is no value at the summit
with your flag half mast
for me

*

Dublin, Ireland
the strange Irish sea
carried me 
towards the bar
I swayed in choppy waters
slipped under
emerged
treaded water in a traffic jam 
waiting to pass
through a new port of friends
who opened their dam
temporarily for me
to pour through
allowing two currents to meet
and mix
a face to my face
for a couple of seconds
but he used it
to wish me a happy new year
and then we parted
shoved forward to our destinies
and I decided
to turn more tiny moments
into memories
like he had
with his Irish goodbye

About Kathryn Attwood

Kathryn

is a writer from Bristol, England. She is currently prepping a speculative fiction novel ready for querying, and enjoys writing in all forms, often drawing inspiration from her travels. You can keep up with her book progress on Instagram: @thewritingforest

This piece was written in response to the prompt Snapshots From Abroad.