Kim Yuna glides
high above the gathered throngs
waiting, her thoughts her own
carving sprays of ice, in arcs
that fall and glimmer, like a thousand
prayers from mouth to sky, can you
hear me? families divided by a line
between world powers, carved
across their homeland’s face
might read anything or nothing
in her beauteous calm.
Kim Yuna stands ready now, and now
receives the torch; she poses, perfectly
timed for world broadcast, and reaches
to the stack of artistic crystals.
Flames spring up, and then a spiral rises
a coil expanding, bearing flame up
to the cauldron high above her. Flames
spring up, and this spring of fire recoils
like flame-bearing barbed wire, retracts
was it a tiger’s snarl? beneath a champion’s
poised, ice-cool smooth expressions
there is no knowing.
This flame, bearing so many hopes, so many
dreams, so many histories unspoken, subsumed
will burn in smooth splendour, poised
above the bodies striving here, each gleaming
arc of artistry that shines a light, sparks
memories, thoughts
connections.
The image here comes from Pixabay.com. They provide an amazing array of really great Creative Commons licensed images. This one is by Teddy Kim of South Korea
Prairiepomes 