wise walls
whisper of lies,
as wily twilight falls,
then…irrevocable truth tries
to rise
warm memories

A roll of unraveled Fujicolor Nexia film basks in the afternoon sun.
새해 복 많이 받으세요!/Happy New Year!

Today is Lunar New Year! Chase away the ghosts of the past; change starts now!
새해/New Year
pull down the sky
tear it down with an angry fist
go ahead
do it!
wrap its magnificence around your
shoulders and scream until you
lose your voice
make it real
smear the act with the fulcrum of
disquietude while
standing on your tiptoes at the
edge of the earth
fall upon the net of lights
float
find yourself
lose yourself
Suho Tree Percussion Ceremony

A traditional Korean percussion ensemble celebrates Lunar New Year by playing music near the
Suho tree, which protects their village.
Gyungsangbukdo Chilgok Youngori/경상북도 칠곡 용로리
South Korea
before the sun
hot streaming tears of Job ground as fine as
stardust cloud a discolored cup, constructing
a dusky cosmos fashioned from the anguish
of almonds
before the sun, thy broken body
shall be healed
vanished child
…time to pay the gas bill…
Yuram-Dong
August 18th, 2013 – a Sunday
ten days before my 32nd birthday
she was 16 years old, with a simple, stainless
smile…much like her pumpkin head…
those red sneakers were falling apart,
but she trudged along in them anyways
as her sloe-eyes peeked out from under
uneven and dismal bangs
that helmet haircut couldn’t protect her
from pernicious prowlers let alone
from playground put-downs
sweet sixteen
sorrowful seventeen
…shaving off the pounds…

This pencil and its brethren have already had quite a bit of exercise in 2015. The bottom drawer in my pencil sharpener was in dire need of a cleaning!
기와/Clay Giwa tiles

Traditional Giwa tiles at Heinsa Temple/South Korea
confirmation
In a frigid room
In a place I could not change
Out of carelessness
I snapped its handsome head off
to feel a passion for life.