Sad Poets Society № 8

Tending the weeds with Christine Kwon

Photo by Adam Tagarro on Unsplash

Let this month’s meeting of the Sad Poets Society commence. Today we’ll be discussing “Flotsam and Fluorescent Splendor” by Kristine Kwon. Let’s get into it.

Flotsam and Fluorescent Splendor

BY CHRISTINE KWON

I watch the weeds pop up
after spending days weeding

I could spend my life like this

One of the most incredible things about poetry is the ability to cram a world of meaning into just a few lines. Christine Kwon does this so well here. This poem is only three lines long, yet it encapsulates a lifetime. With one brief image, Kwon shows what it is to be human. See the weeds. Pull the weeds. Watch the weeds reemerge. Wash, rinse, repeat. Each day is different. Each day is the same.