comforted by the roots that hug u

art by Corinna Keum, words by Diana Zhang

Love letter 

From a beet 

Sink your teeth into my stems

Isn’t it wonderful?

the constant flow of cold and crisp droplets 

Drink it   

Bite into the fruit of my labor 

Isn’t it lovely?

The sweetness of everything 

harvested from the veins of my 

fresh, beating heart 

The dark purple stains your mouth 

Distasteful, messy, vibrant 

Smear my blood on your lips 

like your favorite lipstick

Cut off my roots and feed it to your children 

Dig your shovels under months of months of creation 

Marinated in the shivering darkness 

Now held in your warm palms 

Peel open my vessel of a body 

And there you will find a message ingrained 

on how I’ve longed to give myself 

To the lost 

Hungry for love