This poem shows how cruel Japanese imperialism has had on Koreans through the life of a grandfather of the village where the poet saw and experienced when he was growing up.
Godong-gol Grandpa
by Choi Paul-Yearn
Like chicken feet in winter in black rubber shoes
Godong-gol grandpa with red bare feet
He was going up and down through alley
To his sons' house at Upper village and Lower village.
After being dragged to Bogukdae* and returning
Rolling hemp tobacco with old book paper or bag of flour
He fired his poverty and anger against Japan
With the cannabis eneger which no one condemns
He always muttered alone
Sometimes yelled as if he was crazy
His eyes were always hazy with something.
With toothless mouth he always omulgeorimyeo*
His neighbor people don't know him drunk with drugs
The grandpa like a boy with red cheeks
Had lived in the pain of nightmares
Caused by Japanese imperialism.
The day the magpie's house was shaken very much
He fell asleep like a large fallen leaf
Being buried red hands and feet on those yellow leaves
1 A group name of Koreans who were taken and abused by the Japanese state
2 To Keep on moving lips in shut continually.
“The woman or man who is a poet, or fiction writer, or playwright, or all of these, is engaged constantly in a jazz ballet of vocabularies, passions, genders, histories, perspectives, death, love, and life. The music of revelation announces itself to
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countries. My heart is with Korea. Touching poem.
Ron