temple by
Jonathan Chan
temple
speaking in the fluency
of exile, a figure watches
the foam withdraw from rugged
rock. the same withering tug that
compels the coming and
the going, the leaving and
forgetting. language spills
like fire from a mouth, terror
bursting from within. a disaffiliate
affinity. bodies strain against
conditions of heat. a mismatch.
a misfire. belonging kindles in
the language of islands. the
water vanishes in a horizon
of blue. an emerald bell speaks
for the unspoken. a pit of yearning
resolves in a tune. skies open over
a chasm. chaos learns to be
composed. a single word speaks
planets into being. for goodness
and from goodness. he says hello
to the courage that bleeds from
fear. he finds in the pit of longing
the aching jaw of becoming.
Jonathan Chan is a writer and editor. Born in New York to a Malaysian father and South Korean mother, he was raised in Singapore and educated at Cambridge and Yale Universities. He is the author of the poetry collection going home (Landmark, 2022) and Managing Editor of poetry.sg. Jonathan Chan is online at jonbcy.wordpress.com.