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the (sum)mer of your name

Esther Ra

          썸 (sum) - n. a Korean term coined from the English “something,” 

          which refers to the uncertain feelings and flirtation between two 

          people who have yet to define their relationship.


you ride your bike, fast, even when the water clenches

to thick ice outside. funny the things i don’t notice,

until somehow i do. like the trees planted green

in your name. like the forest unfurled in my house.

when i called, you came with your arms full of light,

and joy was no longer a labor. my eyes

running sunstruck from yours. my mother tongue

soft in my mouth. you cut me a large wedge of laughter,

and its sweetness served more than a feast. you were flicker

and candleflame smile in the dark, and i burned

with the warmth of the same. it was winter.

my hand grazed your small share of heat.

and my face glowed with summer for days.


Esther Ra is a bilingual writer who alternates between California and Seoul, South Korea. She is the author of A Glossary of Light and Shadow (Diode Editions, 2023, recipient of the Diode Full-Length Book Prize) and book of untranslatable things (Grayson Books, 2018). Her work has been published in Boulevard, The Florida Review, Rattle, The Rumpus, Bellingham Review, and Korea Times, among others. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Pushcart Prize, 49th Parallel Award for Poetry, Women Writing War Poetry Award, and Sweet Lit Poetry Award. Esther is currently a J.D. candidate at Stanford Law School. (estherra.com)

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