Door in the Rhododendron

after Jean Valentine’s “Door in the Mountain”

We must not hide where we are falling from
We must eat the mist of clear air

We are sinking into the azalea shrub
eating on my hands and knees

When I was a boy, I was so selfish
I was a selfish boy

Tell me where to find
an entrance in that corner of color

You will not
let me leave

Young Fenimore Lee (they/them) is a Korean-American kid, poet, and music journalist residing in Brooklyn, NY whose work has appeared in or are forthcoming in beestung, Cosmonauts Avenue, and Entropy. Indie rock, emo, post-hardcore, and other music genres are important influences in their writing. They received their BA from Stanford University and are currently an MFA candidate at The New School.