Dreams of Men
The sky in North Korea always leads to China
dark during the day, bright plutonium yellow at night
dogs sell human body parts along the country roads here
humans cut off other humans’ legs in the camps
there is neither a half full nor a half empty glass
there is neither a half full nor a half empty soul
everyone knows the day they are going to die in North Korea
there is torture and a life sentence in the political prisons
for when you are caught (it does not matter for what)
you have a 5-foot-by-5-foot underground cell
you are hit, you are raped, you are tortured
you creep, you crawl, and you cower
you are crushed, you are experimented on
you are rushed off your feet by freezing water
you are poisoned, starved, gassed, you are cut up
you are told your dead children’s names over and over.
I smashed my fingertips so they would kill me,
but they laughed at me for three and a half years instead
I huddled in the corner all night and tried to dream –
dream of my fingertips touching the wet sands of the ocean
dream of the bright garden stars rising out in the backyard
dream of your hips with cinnamon and parsley
dream of your body rising sunward like a blue sunflower
dream of flying south over the distant mountain tops
to die together in a beautiful peace.
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