Poetry and translation from Korean by Ihlwha Choi
All day long, I live among strangers.
I sit side by side with a stranger on the bus, rattling along,
Choose tomatoes at the market with someone I don’t know.
My elementary school friends live far away,
And I’ve lost touch with my comrades from the army.
Childhood friends I flew kites with,
Neighbours I once shared raw sweet potatoes with —I’ve lost track of them.
Every day, I meet people, eat lunch together,
Chat like old acquaintances for a moment,
But soon, we become strangers again.
I exchange words with the dry cleaner,
Grumble about the world with the local barber,
But soon, we become strangers again.
For a while, I’m familiar with the doctor as a patient,
Live like family with the nurses,
But as soon as I’m discharged,
we become strangers again.
Those who were once close become distant,
Drinking buddies who once felt like brothers turn into strangers before I know it.
A strange world gradually becomes familiar,
And the familiar world, once again, turns strange.
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.
.
PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL.
Click here to access the Borderless anthology, Monalisa No Longer Smiles
Click here to access Monalisa No Longer Smiles on Kindle Amazon International
Borderless 