Christina Petrides
Valentine’s eve saw him in tears.
Another Lunar Year had dawned.
He did not weep for the white ox,
but for a sandwich-cookie cow
with a turgid udder lowing and
waiting in a deserted barnyard.
He anticipated hot romance
that never came. However,
he was able to console himself
with a bar of dark chocolate
and a cold glass of oat milk.
***
Christina E. Petrides teaches English on Jeju Island, South Korea. Scores of her poems have appeared in periodicals worldwide. Her new verse collection is On Unfirm Terrain (Kelsay Books, forthcoming). Her two children’s books are Blueberry Man (2020; Korean translation, 2021), and The Refrigerator Ghost (in Korean translation, 2022). Her website is: www.christinaepetrides.com.