beneath the nailbed

beaneath the nailbed on the right thumb

like in a lost highway,

the raw sensation—

dripping red blood,

with numbness—

open ruptures,

so vivid.

oh, so piercing.

with a skilled experience,

i feel alive,

i am alien.

As an alien,

ungrounded,

rooting,

in the atmospheric air.

rotten,

at a never landing space.

[감정이 폭주할 때, 우리는 살아 있는가, 아니면 무너지는가.

글루타메이트, 뇌에서 감정을 점화하는 분자가

창조와 파열을 동시에 허락할 때, 우리는 안에서 터진다.]

**This draft predates its final iteration, which has since been reworked and submitted elsewhere. The current version differs in tone, form, and structure.