|
|
|
|
|
Fiction
Non-Fiction
Poetry
Contests
Submissions
Writings Main
Koreabridge Main
Daejeonweb
Pusanweb
SeoulScene
TheDaeguGuide
Ulsanweb
Korea Blogs LifeinKorea.org
Korean Lit Today Thormay.net More Links
Two Poems :
Korean Cowboy Wings; The Next Generation
by Andrew Lawrence Crown
Korean Cowboy Wings
Standing atop
and peering down
a Geumjoungsan cliff wall
Straddling an ancient crevice
Hollowed out by wind and rain
Centuries ago, or was it longer than that
Boulders down below
Strewn across the valley floor
To remind us of the history of gravityI lean out an inch too far
Tired from the climb I waver
Tulsa Jodi football tall and strong
Grabs my shirt collar
Pulls me back
“Careful cowboy You ain't got no wings”The thin pleasant girl giggles and smiles
Rummages through her backpack purse
Fearless of heights
And finally she finds the Tupperware
With the maki rolls inside
“Darling” she says as she pops a section
into my mouth
“Whatever on earth is wings?”
The Next Generation
This strong foreigner’s strength
Passed down through her father’s blood
And before that from Yangban
The honored class of scholars
To this woman who is now
The mother of my son
A boy the product of
An argument she won
With her stubborn logic
A precision of words
Unmistakably her own
Even though not
Of her mother tongue
Rather a language acquired
Through years of dutiful study
Confucius would be proud
Of this diligent student of mine
Who now runs my household
Like a general runs his camp
Sent me on an errand
For the required treats and candies
Returning I listened
In between spoonfuls of ice cream and rice
To a plea like the closing statement
Of a lawyerly Queen
Holding court in my living room
Against the disappointing backdrop
Of the ten o’clock news
History on her side
And tradition to boot
I have succumbed to the elements
And the forces of nature
Which have made me a father
Of this sparkling prized boy
Who owes his existence
In part to these words
Calling forth my compliance
With an ancient commandment
Yobo we must
Bring forth our next generation
Why you ask me
Husband I will tell you
The choice is not mine
Our blood
It is sacred like our love
Our blood
It must continueAnd happiness swept over us
Like a cleansing rain
Dousing our love in water
From the holiest spring
crownac AT hotmail.com
www.andycrown.net
June 24, 2006
|