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Saeyeong Jima Plays Out In Life

writers digest prompt write a lucky/unlucky poem


The Korean Proverb 
 saeyeong jima 
recently came to life in my life

The meaning of the proverb
Is that you can never know whether something 
will be good or bad 

and that unexpectedly 
what appears to be bad fortune
turns out to be a good fortune

The proverb played 
out recently in my life
about lunar  New Year's Day 

we were preparing to go to Thailand 
from two weeks from our home 
in South Korea 

and then at the end of February 
we would do to go to DC

My wife blew out her lumber desk 
and we were forced to cancel our trips
This occurred 
just as the coronavirus 
was taking out around the world 

and if we had gone 
we may have been stuck either in Thailand 
or we may have been stuck in the United States 

and traveling in the mist of a corona outbreak
would probably mean 
that we would have been exposed
to the virus 


instead we were forced to stay home 
and self quarantine ourselves 

and therefore 
we escaped being exposed to the coronavirus 
and we feel much safer 
here in Korea  where the outbreak is contained
rather than in DC
where it is still spreading everywhere

so in a sense her misfortune
throwing out her disk 
which resulted in us staying at home 
and avoiding the coronavirus

is the true meaning 
of the Korean Chinese expression
 saeyeong jima

Copyright © Jake Aller

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