Authors /
Karen An-Hwei Lee
Karen An-hwei Lee is provost of Wheaton College in Illinois.
Song of the Early Magnolias
Gentlest alchemy of air, the early magnolias hold their fragrant lamp-bowls aloft at dusk, defying March. Can’t be snowing, yet it is— ...
Quinquagenarian
The month I turned fifty, I ate pear and violets, a milk-soaked custard cake. On the waterfront, ...
Juneberry Primer
As a girl, I’d pronounce compote like coyote. Clafoutis rhymed with clematis or stephanotis ...
Hypersonic Hallelujahs
The soul of an engineer asks, how far is the satellite from the observer on earth, based on the altitude and the azimuth? How far can a soul wing its way ...
Rule of Life, the Sequel
What is a rule of life but this rustling chatter?
The dialogue of jackdaws, pigeons, and wrens—...
Mint Dirge
After the winter, we long for an aromatic caress of mint,for the sprig of new mint on a bathroom sill, the tingleof the soft mint starlight over the blue mint of the sea—...
The good day
After the bad day, I pray for good days
in the world. On good days, women
are safe, brushing out their hair
while waiting for God to say hello....
Songs of comfort
The friendly cellist with a big heart, a long-time resident
of a neighboring town where I grew up, who received
bouquets from the flower shop where I trimmed roses,...
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In praise of small living
I do not mind small living. I love the minuteness—
ducks and geese grooming, swans preening lazily,
sharing our rice and beans, spending hours indoors...
Dear millennium,
on quarantine dreams
As I wake in the morning, facing the risk
of viral air wafting in open spaces
such as the market, a gas station, or dog park,
I dare to linger at the rows of fat peaches,...
Prayer in a cloud of ginger tea
With a prayer, I lower my face in a cloud of ginger tea,
inhaling the promise of its sinus-clearing, herbal fire....