navy
fabric naps near
platinum blond wavy
hair; how those cold carob eyes spear
my cheer
60 Second Series: Keimyung University/Han-hak-chon

1 minute exposure/taken at Keimyung University in Daegu, South Korea
Flowers of a Moment: Poem 109
구름 속 보름달이 나타난다
도둑놈이 화들짝 놀라 달아난다
개들이 놀라 짖어댄다
-고은
from behind a cloud, the full moon emerges
a thief is frightened away
startled dogs howl
-Ko Un
———————————–
This is poem 109 from Flowers of a Moment, which is a small volume of poetry by Korean author Ko Un that I am currently translating into English.
Facebook Ghost
This morning close to six past eight
I placed a bagel on my plate,
then opened up my Facebook page
to see what news was all the rage.
Kate Leary had a baby boy;
she barely can contain her joy.
The selfie squad was here of course;
that gal by Ann looks like a horse!
My social justice friend is back;
for starting fights he has a knack.
It seems that Susie’s Grandma died.
I read her post and nearly cried.
Joe’s breakfast bowl looks so delish,
I wonder if that’s meat or fish?
Naomi’s pics are always great;
that’s all she posts at any rate.
Last night Sebastian got quite drunk
in his own words, drunk as a skunk.
Tom’s sister did a 5K run;
I gather it was lots of fun.
Jill’s birthday party is tonight
the theme this year is Rainbow Bright.
I comb my fingers through my hair
and try to think of things to share.
But on this windy autumn day
I just don’t have that much to say.
————————————————-
*edited after initial posting
old friends
vermilion cloth brushes snow gently
the wilted arm of a monk reaches
down to greet an old friend who is
curled up under a white oak wheezing
through a toothless mouth
her once golden paw feebly bats at
flowing garments begging for the
heated floors of nearby rooms
these allies have spent many winters
together in this sacred place
when spring comes both will be gone
자비/mercy
연보라색 나비가 마비된다
자비의 순간이 언제 올거야?
a lilac butterfly becomes paralyzed
when will mercy’s moment come?
—————————————–
In Korean the words for butterfly, mercy, and paralysis rhyme. I wrote this short poem to serve as a memorization aid for those three words.
경복궁의 가을/Autumn at Gyeongbokgung Palace

On Saturday, I took a stroll through Gyeongbokgung Palace. The foliage was gorgeous,
Do You Remember?
flickering candles
whisper on a weeping night
next to reticent mountains
flaxen hair shimmers
beside sparkling frosted glass
warm lips on cold porcelain
Cinquain/XL
quaintly
by the seaside
Bain bides with his saintly
folks yet laments for fate denied
a bride
예상/anticipation

A young boy waits to see the changing of the guard at Seoul’s Gyeongbokgung Palace.