Picture: Namsook Han
Feet Talk to Me
On the subway
Line Five at Chongro Station
Pushed along by the ocean wave of the crowd
There is a man whose feet turn inwards
The toes face each other
My two feet, in parallel
Look at his friendly feet
They bend toward each other
Right talking to left
They ask about each other
So, are you feeling well today
They walk along, conversing in whispers
Feet that usually walk in parallel their whole lives
Walk facing each other,
Surrendering the parallel
Become each other’s Buddha
Millions of faces fighting fiercely
Are inside the two feet
The feet are like a couple
Men and women stretch together
And in the dreary world persist in self-righteousness
His left foot and right foot
Looking at each other, conversing
Seem so passionately pitiable
All other feet go in parallel, though
His two feet are walking
Hugging each other
–Umok Hoet-Jip (Umok Raw Fish Restaurant): 2009
By Poet, Soonja Kwon, born in 1958, poetry 『A Thousand Tears』 etc.
Translatey Clara Soonhee Kwon-Tatum, Ph.D and Matthew Lewis, M.Ad b
