This one person

Dongna’an with all his pride
was first to teach me how to
survive in a village as cursed as kurgwi.
rolling joints and pressing body parts
were survival skills there;
there are a thousand secrets buried in Quanpan.
Dongna’an shared with me everything
from blunts to clothes to food
and other things that must not be read in a poem.
he knew men who made men mad,
he showed me fire; cold fire
and tattooed my name on his arm.
We will continue to talk for hours
into the dry hot night with sweat
dripping from our brows
and thudding the floor.
Most importantly, Dongna’an showed me
the place where God was hiding.

Younglan Talyoung