Holy Cocktail — Soheon Rhee
My mother believes in a god
who lives in a temple,
far away in Busan.
She kneels on her Seoul floor
and prays with a basket of offering on her lap,
her mind repeats her words until
they migrate to a deeper part of her brain.
At night, I eat god’s food
to return the feeling of warmth,
the belly button opening larger
to reveal a scar.
My mother finds it gone the next day and
touches the wooden rim as if it is holy
while I search for the fruits in my stomach.
Soheon Rhee is a senior in high school who is currently attending International School of Manila. Her works have been published in Eunoia Review and Cleaver Magazine, among others.