This month, I am happy to present poetry from Risa Naomi-Mun Kurosaki, a queer Yonsei artist I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in beloved spaces we share in common, namely Descanso Gardens and Tuesday Night Cafe, both tied to the written word and then conversations about theater. Here Risa’s selections share a kind of wondrous navigation through introspection, action, and relations near and far, and necessary…enjoy.

— traci kato-kiriyama

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Risa Naomi-Mun Kurosaki is a queer Yonsei theatre artist born and raised in Los Angeles. Her poetry is colored by her half Malaysian Chinese and half Japanese American upbringing with ties to Little Tokyo, East Los Angeles, and the San Gabriel Valley. It is also influenced by her current life working in various pockets across the city and her work in Southeast Alaska. She continues to support local activism at a grassroots level and through storytelling on stage. Poetry has always been a way for her to meditate, express herself creatively, and an avenue of internal exploration of ideas and concepts in a fast paced and every changing world around us.

In Transit

Restless steps with no direction
Free of permanence
Fear of not fulfilling in the time we’re given
Not making enough
Not being enough
The glass boundaries expand
Unsettled by the haunting clink of shackles
Of committing to an ending
Before you have even begun.

Ghosts

Ghosts are real
They appear in spaces in between.
I felt them in the atmosphere.
Smell their perfume as they pass me by.
They manifest in my memories of them
When everyday objects cross my vision,
The taste of soup, the song in the speaker.
Floating in for their food offerings
When I eat their favorite foods at my table, an altar.

A Deep Ache

Shallow breath,
Fear that something deeper will change the course of eternity.

The fear and bravery to
Stand up
Rise up
Group up.
Speak up.

Stand up for what is right.
Rise up against the fascist powers that be.
Group up and find safety in numbers.
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

No gesture too small, no caring words go unheard.

Fight for our collective liberation because
We are not free until we are ALL free.

Exhibit

I’d rather be experienced
Than be admired.

I’d rather be educating
Than be studied.

I’d rather be working
Than be worked on.

I’d rather be many things
Than be on display.

*These poems are copyrighted by Risa Korosaki (2025)

© 2025 Risa Naomi-Mun Kurosaki