there is gold in my veins;
that is why i am considered a delicacy
it seems not for all fools,
but for fools with a fetish…
they rush in my direction
(simply for my complexion)
and i endure it to protect
the vessel that reflects
the inner flecks of delicate gilt
that flake and flow beneath my flesh.
my culture is both a cause for death
and a symbol of prosperity
my spirit is imprinted with the same honor
that is branded with assumption
my semblance signifies innocence
and certain submissive reciprocity.
it does not reveal the guilt in my veins
or the tarnished traces of my tradition
when i am chased for my purity
as if i am chaste gold.
what a shame it is to hold a deeper treasure
when the shallow only desire what holds it…
Sam Park is a Korean American poet based in Brooklyn, NY. Since writing her first spoken word poem during the pandemic, she has shared her work in various spaces throughout New York such as at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Brooklyn Poetry Slam, as well as in several virtual open mic communities across the country. Her poetry has also been published in anthologies such as Love Letters to Gaia and she is very grateful to have performed and published her work through Mixed Mag as well! You can find more of Sam’s work and upcoming performances on Instagram at @pam.sark.