Wednesday, October 10, 2012

So, I think I figured out the meaning of life


Click HERE to see me read it out loud, with hand movements, because I can't, for the life of me, talk without gestures. Haters gonna hate...


Poem of LIfe
I walk through the streets of South Korea
Tall buildings instead of trees shadow my stroll.
Coffee shops smell of good conversation
and overpriced drinks.
Cars lazily make their way through the
U r b a n   L a b y r i n t h.  
The city breathes in life and fumes and makes it something
quite
it's
own.


I walk amidst this life as if in a                                                              dream.
Nothing really seems real.
The tide tugs at the shore, hoping he will
come out and play.
The mountain boldly challenges anything to be
as tall
and sturdy
 and strong
as her.
And the city, Oh, the city works as a hive.
I often move from
chamber                                        to                                                  chamber
spreading ideas and love as honey through combs.

But somedays are different.
Somedays, 
The buildings suffocate.  
The cafes stifle.
The cars clog.
The tide has just another unrequited love, and the mountain falls apart.


These are the days on which I am
split and torn.
Neither here
nor there.
My heart and my brain work as
two
separate
 entities.
One yearns for home, while the other
stubbornly
stays
here.
And, my body is the vessel for this war zone, 
and even She is worn and apathetic.

It is on these days that I want to
escape
from this life towards my
past,
from which I so gracelessly ran not 12 months ago.

This leadens my
frayed and tattered
body,

Walking and walking always and forever walking.

My eyes cloud.
My feet stumble.
So lost in my head, I barely catch
a beautiful act of love.

Four friends, age 7,
On the steps of their Hagwon.
Each puts a hand in the center of the circle and cheer.
I grin and pass by remarking its
quaintness.
Four hellos chorus behind me. I turn, and reply.

One brave little voice shouts,
I am Min Hee.
The ear to ear Cheshire Cat
grin and joy he has
 lightens my body.
Slowly, it lifts these consuming burdens I didn't even realize I had.

Walking and walking always and forever walking.

And from behind me,

The tinkle of small
giggle,
grows into a
chuckle,
and ends in a sound of
pure
childhood
     joy.
And that, dear friends, is the meaning of life:
that sound of innocence resonating through the laughter of a
                                                                                                            child.


2 comments:

  1. I watched your video due to being one lazy grown adult. I am glad I did because it was so wonderful to hear the emotion come from your voice.

    In other words, I got a little bit teary-eyed. It may be because of the dry weather, but we can say it was your lovely spoken word.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is amazing. I wish I could see this place.

    ReplyDelete