Listen to Nature
poetry
Plight of the 2nd Gen
We learn dual languages: one for home and one for “out there”
and we take our strange scents to school
and they pinch their noses: What’s that?
kimchi
we like jeans, rock music, movies, and slang
and we are scolded for peculiar haircuts and behavior
and they grab us and ask: who are you?
Korean-American
What do we owe each other?
Reflection
Because your father and the Korean War
treated you mercilessly
you swallowed the hate, anger and resentment
with tiny grains of rice and near-clear broth
You read books and taught yourself
math – the universal language
you patched holes in your shoes and clothes
sewed extra material to your pant legs
With marriage and children, hunger multiplied
your craving for recognition and love
were bottomless pits of self-doubt
and utter darkness
You lashed out and your fears
masqueraded as control and power
launched your family away
but your heart cried
come back
Delight
“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”
The final line of his poem, “On Clothes” by Kahlil Gibran
Response to art prompt
On the Daily
I take one every morning
sometimes they go down easy and
sometimes they’re hard to swallow
but poems are my vitamins
Body as Water
I ran across this poem and it spoke to my heart:
Nearly
When we slid out of the lane. When my sleeve caught fire. While we fought in the snow. While the oncologist spoke. Before the oil spilled. Before your retina bled. Beyond the kids at the curb. Beyond the turn to the forest. After the forest turned to ashes. After you escorted my mother out. As I led your father in. As the dolphin swam the derelict canal. While the cameras filmed it dying. While the blackout continued. When the plane dipped. When the bank closed. While the water. While the water. And we drank it.
