3 Poems by Kate Yuan

As You Walk by a Claw-machine 

As you walk by a claw-machine 

you can hear the pleading of the 

eyecatching plushies from

the other side of The Great Wall of

Plushies to free them from their

Tyrannical King, Box

He watches as innocent passersby

Slide money into the greedy treasurer

The song starts; they move the

flimsy claw of Hope as it hovers

over the subjects the human who

fell into the trap presses the Queen

Of Excitement and sends the claw 

down After many trys freed subjects,

free fall into waiting hands

Sugar Glider

Why, oh why, do you glide instesd of fly?

Tell me why you don't utter a word?

Maybe you'll speak to me one day. 

Brown silky fur, glistening under

The moonlight, 

Wait, 

Sugar glider, sugar glider

Where, oh, where have you gone?

Note: this poem previously appeared in the Creative Communication Anthology (2025)

Nighttime Forest

Nighttime comes slowly, very slowly
Crepuscular bunnies scurry closer to
Their burrows, gathering berries,
Nuts, cabbage, carrots, and grass

Deer mice scurry out of
Their dirt hole looking for nuts
Or berries

Sugar gliders glide through
Thick oak branches
Owls can be heard hooting

The wind is rustling, it is chilly
The sun is rising
It is the end of the night
Nocturnal animals come and go
Leaving the forest scene

Note: this poem previously appeared in the Creative Communication Anthology (2025)


Bionote

Kate Yuan is in the 3rd grade and lives in the greater Seattle area. In her spare time, she likes reading, singing, and writing poems and stories.