2 poems by Jonathan Wittmaier

A dumpling does what a dumpling does

It floats, it bobs, it tumbles to the floor.

On the inside—hollow, nothing but air
And some soft squishy dough

Fill it with onion, chives,
some minced pork; all mashed 
up in a thick filling,
the same way Umma 
used to do.

Savor it, relish it, consider every
ingredient, every element
Because soon it will all be over…

Piece by piece, it will journey inward
through the labyrinth, through the elaborate 
array of tubing and guts

Until finally, it will reach its end, 
expelled at last into the bottom 
of the bowl.




                                      (Lovers) When in China

        I slip the ice-cold Popsicle between your gooey lips
                   and smell the sweet-soaked cherry blossom
                                                warm between
                                                   your hips

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Jonathan Wittmaier is a Korean American writer with an MFA in Creative Writing from Adelphi University. Born in South Korea—he grew up in southern New Jersey. Recipient of the Creative Writing Award for Dramatic Writing (Adelphi 2018), he has taught English and creative writing at various college campuses all across Long Island. He currently resides in Seattle, Washington. You can find him at https://www.instagram.com/jonathanwittmaier/?hl=en

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