By Freda Dong

Share:

Inspired by the experiences I had in a park I’ve been going to since childhood.

Orange flames dance in a sky of hot pink dawn,

Returning when the sun sinks into the river at dusk.

Try to convince yourself that you can see stars

In the light-filled dark of Sunset Park.

The fiery sun sinks into the river at dusk,

Yet voices continue to flow through the trees

Amidst the light filled dark of Sunset Park, 

Aunties dancing together to Chinese songs. 

Voices that are flowing through the trees, 

Echoing laughter from running children,

Aunties dancing together to Chinese songs,

Completes the symphony of Sunset Park. 

Laughters echo from running children

Playing under the silver gaze of the moon.

You watch the symphony of Sunset Park,

Feeling the breeze as it brushes your cheeks.

Playing under the silver gaze of the moon,

Kicking off the earth, you swing to the sky.

Feeling the wind stinging your cheeks as

You resist the urge to let go and jump.

Back and forth, you swing in the sky,

Living the same endless loop day and night.

Resisting the urge to break free and jump,

The stars remain silent, the answers unknown.

Living the same endless loop day and night,

Lying to yourself that you can see stars.

Answers hidden by the light of the flames 

That dance once again in the hot pink dawn. 

Process

I wrote the first draft of this poem in a poetry class after a lesson about pantoums, in a free-write using the theme of location. Afterwards I left it in my notebook for a while, before I took the poem out, added some verses, and polished it. Sunset Park is a place dear to me, somewhere I visited constantly throughout my childhood. It’s where I had many of my first experiences, such as playing on a swing, riding a bike, using a scooter, taking my first jog, and more. I want to show the constancy of Sunset Park, both how it remains unchanged throughout the years and the place it has in my life.