One Tree, One Staircase

One tree, one staircase.

Following the countless stairs,

sunlight and clouds, wind and fog descend.

Along the undulating, winding, and endlessly stretching stairs,

owls carry drumbeats,

and golden orioles fly through the dusky evenings.

Whose dropped lunch bag might it be, along the stairs?

An acorn rolls down, tap-tap-tap.

When autumn passes and winter arrives,

folding itself neatly, descending to the ground,

a single staircase.

In a world where everyone sleeps, onto a white snowfield,

piano notes softly spread.

Who is there?

This sound, heard from beneath the frozen earth,

is the staircase's dream of a spring sonata.

Ding dong, ding dong, ding.

◆ Lim Yohee

Poet, novelist, forest interpreter, and travel writer. Debuted through the New Spring Literary Contest in 2010. Her published works include 'Real Hong Kong' (co-authored), 'Snow Show', 'Burgundy Travel Dictionary', 'Safe Today', 'Knowledge Keywords 164', 'Novel Do Mun Dae Jak', and others.