Female Slave 1
A brave old lady, who suffered
as a female slave, has passed away
I don’t want to look back
I don’t want to think about it
And yet the nightmares that haunt me
Come faster than the night and interrupt my sleep
The war was terrifying
The nights even more terrifying
Did you see the moon shedding blood?
Have you seen the moonlight gushing streams of blood?
My moon has shed blood by day, by night
From my eyes poured not tears but blood
From nose what poured was blood
And from my nether parts the blood poured too
Did you say I should scream?
If I scream will somebody come to stop this?
Mom is too far away
My country has been stripped of its name
Have I died, so I can’t remember what country I’m from?
Overwhelmed with the spectres of war
My ankle bound by dozens, hundreds of watchful eyes
I could not escape from that shameful barracks
Even though the war is over the memories do not vanish
.
.
By Poet, Soonja Kwon, born in 1958, poetry 『A Thousand Tears』 etc.
Translated by Anne Nordquist
