Poetry and translation from Korean by Ihlwha Choi
ON THE RESERVED SEAT SECTION OF THE SUBWAY
A grandfather with his young granddaughter boards the train.
He pauses briefly in front of the reserved seats, then sits down.
As the little girl tries to sit, he explains,
"This seat is for grandpas and grandmas."
Beside the seats, there’s a small sign,
showing a person with a cane, a person with a round belly,
a person on crutches, a person holding a baby.
The subway clanks along,
and the child stands in front of the reserved seat section,
fiddling with a smartphone.
Sitting on a nearby seat, I almost say,
“Sit next to your grandpa,” but hold back—
It might sound like encouragement to break the rules.
Children should learn to follow public etiquette.
She tries perching on an empty seat,
but stands up quickly after a moment,
still toying with her phone.
On this sunny spring afternoon,
the grandfather, eyes gently closed, sits in the reserved seat,
while the spring sunlight shines beside him.
His young granddaughter stands, swaying as she clutches the pole,
clanking forward, toward tomorrow.
Ihlwha Choi is a South Korean poet. He has published multiple poetry collections, such as Until the Time When Our Love will Flourish, The Color of Time, His Song and The Last Rehearsal.
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