One Rainy Afternoon by Minjung Kyun

I like the rain 

like my birthday.

I like that there 

are small water ponds 

children can jump in after the rain.

I like how 

the raindrops tap 

on my bedroom window. When I get 

into my grandparents’ house, 

the warm, cozy air surrounds me.

Grandma plays Beethoven 

on a grand piano in the living room

The thick arabica scent 

wakes me up from daydream.

Raindrops worming down 

the window makes music

with black grand piano, 

greater and deeper 

on a rainy day 

like a woeful dirge.

I sit down on a chesterfield,

forking a slice of chocolate cake.

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Minjung Kyun is an 12th-grade student from South Korea attending Chattahoochee High School in the United States. She has been recognized by the Scholastics Arts and Writing Awards and has published her writing in various places such as K’in Literary Journal and the Heritage Review.