pamela seong koon


THE PERFECT ENDING


As a little girl I always believed

hearts were made of spun sugar


and never melted. Every house

knew warmth and shepherd pies


and the crossed paws of a pet. So

imagine my shock when my father


aged to thunder, the floor cold

to touch, the weather forecast


being told in percentages. Tomorrow

there is a 50% chance of rain


but there is no way to half

a backlash. There is no way


to half the hands that shrivel

like a snail backing to its shell. This


time, it is me that wants out,

yet I fail to detach from a house


without a beating heart and

a door. A forecast tells me


that there is nothing wrong

with leaving. That leaving


allows a downpour to

peel itself to sunshine. A


pet left behind is still

eternally loved. I know that


I am braver for learning

that spun sugar will always


melt in rain.


Pamela Seong Koon is a Singaporean port worker and a multi-hobbyist on their off days. Their work has been published or is forthcoming in superfroot, Alien Literary Magazine, and OF ZOOS. They can be found at http://pamelaseongkoon.me.