Sunset, Venice Beach, October
We were beautiful sunsets
even when the clouds came in.
They vibrated with a golden glow
until the orange hovered, pocked
and peeling like a Valencia between
the side of my thumb and forefinger,
a rind of sky peeking through, stippled.
The whole orb of fruit suspended
until a final tear of skin broke the day.
I think of the ripe fruit we shared
and the pith I peeled to taste
my own sweetness.
Copyright © 2026 by Kalehua Kim. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on November 6, 2026, by the Academy of American Poets.
“‘Sunset, Venice Beach, October’ is part of a forthcoming collection devoted to the epistolary poem. When we write letters, we cast ourselves outward, with no guarantee of what will be returned. Or when. During that seemingly interminable waiting period, we’re left with memories—faded colors of previous interactions with those with whom we yearn to connect. This poem mirrors a point of reflection during such interstitial periods: the transition from day to night, the onset of autumn, our inevitable aging. When we write a letter to a beloved, are we actually attempting to connect to ourselves?”
—Kalehua Kim
Kalehua Kim
