Communion by Esther Ra

I still can’t eat South Korean blood sausages
with their translucent glass noodles, slipping soft
& unsteady on my tongue. But when you lifted one
packed with warm rice instead, saying Please—
we used to eat these in the north—I couldn’t say no
& swallowed. In the approaching dark, we ate
our fill, north & south, hunger & hunger, two women
smiling simply and sharing blood.



Esther Ra is the author of book of untranslatable things (Grayson Books, 2018) and the founder of The Underwater Railroad, a literary unification project. She has been the recipient of awards including the Pushcart Prize and the 49th Parallel Award, and works to support healthcare for North Korean defectors.