After the Threesome, They Both Take You Home
By Sue Hyon Bae

even though it’s so very late
and they have to report to their jobs
in a few hours, they both get in the car,
one driving, one shotgun, you in the back
like a child needing a drive to settle into sleep,
even though one could drive and the other
sleep, because they can’t sleep
without each other, they’d rather drive you
across the city rather than be apart for half an hour,
the office buildings lit pointlessly beautiful
for nobody except you to admire their reflections
in the water, the lovers too busy talking
about that colleague they don’t like,
tomorrow’s dinner plans, how once
they bought peaches on a road trip and ate and ate
until they could taste it in each other’s pores,
they get out of the car together to kiss you goodnight,
you who have perfected the ghost goodbye,
exiting gatherings noiselessly, leaving only
a dahlia-scented perfume, your ribcage
compressing to slide through doors ajar and untouched,
yesterday you were a flash of white in a pigeon’s blinking eye,
in the day few hours old you stand solid and full
of other people’s love for each other
spilling over, warm leftovers.

About the Poem

Sue Hyon Bae’s poem “After the Threesome, They Both Take You Home” is a poignant exploration of intimacy, vulnerability, and the complicated emotions that arise from unconventional romantic or sexual experiences. As you read this poem, I’d like you to read it two different ways. First read it all the way through like one long run on sentence. Then read each line separately, stopping after to each one considering the line itself as separate from the poem. By reading it in those two very different ways, I think you will come to a better understanding of the nuances of the poem and the small details that form its narrative and cadence.

The poem’s title sets the stage for a layered, nuanced narrative, framing the aftermath of a threesome in an evocative and emotionally charged way and is particularly significant. “They Both Take You Home” suggests a sense of care, perhaps even responsibility, from the other two individuals. Yet it also implies a sense of being passed along, as though the speaker lacks agency or is separate from the bond between the other two. This duality reflects the poem’s larger themes of connection and alienation. “After the Threesome, They Both Take You Home” is a deeply emotional poem that captures the vulnerability of human connection in unconventional contexts. Through its reflective tone and evocative imagery, the poem invites readers to contemplate the complexities of intimacy, longing, and the spaces between people. It is a piece that lingers in the mind, much like the emotional residue of the moment it describes.

Bae employs understated sensuality, avoiding overt descriptions of the threesome itself and instead focusing on the quieter, more emotionally charged moments after. The imagery often feels muted, almost dreamlike, as if the speaker is processing the experience from a distance. The poem lingers on small, mundane details that carry emotional weight—a touch, a glance, or the silence in the car. These details serve to ground the poem in realism while heightening its emotional resonance. The poem thrives in its ambiguity, leaving much unsaid. The relationships between the speaker and the other two participants are unclear, which mirrors the emotional confusion of the moment.

The poem juxtaposes closeness with distance. Although the threesome is an inherently intimate act, the aftermath reveals how that closeness can magnify feelings of isolation. The speaker seems caught between two people who are physically present but emotionally distant, creating a stark tension. It subtly addresses the shifting power dynamics in relationships. The two partners may appear united, perhaps in their understanding of each other, while the speaker feels like an outsider even within this intimate moment. This reflects the imbalance of connection among the trio. There’s an undercurrent of longing throughout the poem—not just for physical connection, but for emotional understanding. The speaker grapples with the bittersweet reality of fleeting intimacy and its inability to fully satisfy deeper desires. The speaker appears acutely aware of the fleeting nature of the moment, and the poem captures how such experiences, though brief, can leave an emotional resonance that lingers.

About the Poet

Sue Hyon Bae is a poet and translator raised in South Korea, Malaysia, and Texas. She is the author of the poetry collection Truce Country, published by Eyewear Publishing in 2019, and co-translator of Kim Hyesoon’s A Drink of Red Mirror (Action Books, 2019). Bae’s poetry often explores themes of identity, memory, and cultural displacement, reflecting her diverse upbringing and experiences across different countries. She continues to contribute to the literary field through her writing and translations, bridging cultural and linguistic gaps.

Bae earned her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Arizona State University (ASU) and is currently pursuing a PhD in Comparative Culture and Languages at ASU’s School of International Letters and Cultures.  During her time at ASU, she served as the International Poetry Editor for Hayden’s Ferry Review. Her work has appeared in publications such as Four Chambers Press, Minetta Review, Apple Valley Review, and Please Hold Magazine.  Additionally, her manuscript Truce Country was shortlisted for the 2017 Sexton Prize for Poetry.