Standing
Spring rain falls. Sunshine that had been bright yesterday turns to spray and scatters. Tomorrow light-green leaves will enter the gate of summer. Do you like walking in the rain? When I see some woman alone in the rain, I get the impulse to take her hands. Such a thing really occurred once. She must have been a strange woman who resembled my former lover. She must have worn a white blouse and a black skirt. It must have been in front of a cafe on a Boulevard. Once I caught her by the hands, she stopped and looked back at me. Seeming confused or maybe embarrassed, she said nothing. We stood there for about thirty seconds, hands clasped. My past thirty years glided along the scattered light into that moment. I walked a little way and turned back. She stood there motionless as if crucified. Next day the sun appeared again. I could see that she was still standing there. The leaves hanging from the frail tips of her hair were glittering greener, brightly.
Jeong Han-yong: poet, born in 1958, poetry 『How to Make a Mink Coat』 etc.
Translated by Seth Feldman
