Chris Lim
Coffee Stains and Venom
We watch the raindrops
sweat on glass panes of the building
As the gusts of wind
Sweep the plastic bags along the pavement
Cars drone on the pebbly road like goaded cattle
Along the sidewalk, we walk past
the blur of faces
Trickles of lost words
slip through our mouths
The lamp post flickers at us, signaling the
approach of the storm,
while clouds shift in the black tinged sky.
Sometimes, we bury ourselves
too deep
and drown in the tides
Lock ourselves in a stranger’s body
We stare at the mirror, only to see the
Crumpled sheets, coffee stains
and the venom in our teeth
Chris Lim is a 15-year-old high school student from the Philippines, who attends the British School of Manila, where he won the 2018 short story competition. He likes taking part in Math competitions and reading dystopian novels. His poetry has appeared in the journal K’in.
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