so amazing twin
what about the twinning trees!?
not only twin trees
yet, eight hundreds years old age
they are in South Korea
When I first came
To South Korea in 1979
To do my Peace Corps duty
In a rural country town,
I thought that the old name
Of Korea
“the land of the morning calm”
Was absurd.
Korea was a noisy place
From early morning on.
Cars, horns, radio TV blaring
People talking to crowds everywhere
At night people drink and dine.
And loudspeakers
Blasting you awake
At 6 a.m.
And during elections
Sound trucks everywhere.
Now 45 years later
It is my home
No longer a noisy
Chaotic exotic place
Just home.
This greeting is for you to tell you that your dreams have come true .This greeting is for you to tell you that the battle is already won and I will be meeting with you on the stand. Our meeting will be brief but the message will be deep, you have got to choose one destination where you can have a proper salvation, China, Japan, South Korea or Ukraine but America is not the same, there have been changes and plenty of them too, you will have to wear a brand new pair of shoe; you will make Africa your home and I will keep the American time zone. I wanted to visit you but I have to make sure that the time is right, you are ready and your mind is steady. I prefer paradise on earth where I can mingle with the dirt to plant corn and yam and visit Uncle Sam. I like hanging out by the stream where I can capture my dreams and go dancing in the sun when the winter is done. I love to watch the autumn leaves and watch the branches swaying in the breeze, and the birds gathering around trying on their winter gown. I will take a stroll on the lawn and meditate by the brooks and write a daily verse in my brand new cook book. Greetings to you.
“My family is very far away”
My mother confessed to me
As she cried.
I thought she meant
Her family halfway across
The world in South Korea,
And maybe a part of her had,
But her mother had died
When she was twelve
And young daughters
Never grow out of
Wanting their Mommies.
Tragic Halloween
Through the streets of festive Seoul--
Ghosts replaced the youth!*
© Demetrios Trifiatis
30 October 2022
* In Seoul, South Korea, thousands of young people
filled the streets to celebrate Hallowing, today. Unfortunately,
more than 150 young people died, more than 120 are injured, and
some 270 are missing because of a crowd crush. R.I.P.!
My condolences to the families of the victims.
Autumnal reflection
This is beautiful autumn, with no rain, no wind and no heat
soothing calm telling nothing about coming storms.
South Korea has solved the problem of what is needed
garish colours, mass banalities and predictable music.
In Ukraine, reckless defender of democracy plays roulette
artillery fire near a nuclear plant; a Russian game of taunt
EU has played all the cards, oblivious of people's concerns
living in fear of mass revolt by the starving and the freezers.
Let the coal plants roar as polar melts and coastal cities
sink beneath the sea and idiotic gender misunderstanding.
Oh, what beautiful autumn oak leaves softly fall
enjoy the shortening of time before the onset of winter.
In this city,
concrete and glass,
ancient temples,
and hidden parks,
on this river
were made our schemes
to break with tradition,
with K-Pop dreams.
Ajoomas walk here,
comfortably clothed,
in western styles,
young beauties pose,
taking photos
under the trees,
couples strolling
in the breeze.
The sound of windchimes
fills the air
and you laugh
and toss your raven hair,
follow the clouds
of blossoms, pink-white,
hypnotic fragrance
through the night.
Suzy Davies, 2019, Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
Visit to Jade Garden
Visiting Jade Garden
Nar Chungcheong, South Korea
On a beautiful spring day,
The cherry trees were in full flower
Pink and white petals
The scent of cherry trees in the air.
Other trees just starting to bloom
Red, yellow and white tulips
Beginning to bloom.
The sounds of spring all around
Birds singing
People walking about.
Talking to one another
As they wander the pathway
Taking in the springtime splendor.
The sun warming up
The pathway winding
.Through the Forrest.
buds burst on branches
bathing in beaming sunshine~
nature's jubilee
2 April 2022
Nature in Spring Themed Poetry Contest(Premiere)
Sponsored by Tania Kitchin
8th place
Notes: Syllables checked(5-7-5)at howmanysyllables.com
I took the above picture of dainty petals sprouting from a rugged cherry blossom's tree this Spring in Silla University, Busan, South Korea.
Brian Strand Contest No. 1170 Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Brian Strand
Love Haibun Poetry Soup Contest
Every morning when I wake up, I drink coffee and reflect on the fairy tale aspect of my life. I met the girl of my dreams in a dream 45 years ago. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She spoke to me in a strange language and disappeared. I yell out “Who are you?” She smiled and faded away as I fell to the ground in my HS school physics class. I started having the dream every week for eight long years then one day she walked off a bus in South Korea, and entered my life and became my wife two months later. That was the date I met my fate.
She came in my dream
For eight years haunting my dreams
I met fate that date
Author’s Note: based on my true love story
The scents of cherry blossoms start to fill the air. I see dainty petals hanging like precious jewels whilst over them are on-lookers clouds of white. I stop and pause a while to watch them caress like lovers in a sacred rendezvous. My heart melts as~
cotton clouds descend
to kiss pearly pink blossoms
in celestial tryst
25 March 2021
For Springtime Haibun Poetry Contest
Sponsored by M. L. Kiser
Notes: I took this photo ( Live/ no filter) yesterday while I was strolling beside a park in Busan, South Korea. It inspired me to write this first Haibun.
Soft tangerine sky;
Prelude to twilight~
Sunset’s passing grace
Of her gentle gaze,
Like the final glance
Of a brief romance.
20 March 2021
Notes: Photo taken by yours truly during a winter sunset at Samnak Park, Busan, South Korea
For "Tableau - 6 Lines Poetry Contest"
Sponsored by Joseph May
1st Place
Entered for " All Yours (April 2) Poetry Contest"
Sponsored by Brian Strand
1st Place
Agoraphobia
Voyaging from Cuba to South Korea across the Pacific
takes about three weeks on an old freighter, but we knew
it had a beginning and an ending.
We have been held up in our flat for three weeks with
no ending in sight, next week it is said or perhaps the week
after that, if we are indoors long, we will get agoraphobia
and unable to leave the flat
Fearful of the world outside full of people and automobiles
agoraphobia is not a joke I have suffered from it on and off.
Once I stayed on board a tank ship for six months not leaving
the ship once I was saving money for further education
I needed help to walk down the gangway.
Once in Liverpool, I had another attack unable to leave the house
but I got help by a psychologist who lured me on a bus trip,
he was going to wait for me after four stops; he wasn’t there
I had to walk home among a throng of people
So, it might happen again because I tended to prefer
loneliness.
the day I met the love of my life
who became my wife
was a late August day
in South Korea
as Koreans put it
the sky is high
my horses are fat
and the king is far away
??? ??
?? ????
?? ????
haneul-i nopda
mal-eun ttungttunghada
wang-eun meolliissda
in late August early September
the weather turns in Korea
the humid sauna like temperatures
begin to abate
cool breezes cool the air
the sky is high
crystal clear
just a few clouds
the temperatures moderate
high in the 80’s low in the 60’s
just wonderful weather
the promise of nice fall weather
in the air
the killing heat of the summer
abates and dies down
and on such a lovely date
I met my fate
she walked out of my dreams
and into my life
and became my wife
during the brilliant
Autumn of Korea
before the winter
settled down on the land
To this day
when the autumn comes
I recall the halcyon date
when I met my fate
poetry super highway daily April Prompt to write a weather report poem
Seed Of Yellow Dust
Above a city
Scattered in the blue sky
A grain of yellow dust
In the middle of a wide desert
When the sand breeze blows
Secretly shoot yellow shoots
Trees in the forest
One by one
Every time they disappear
Yellow dust become more yellowish
Growing up by myself
On the road
Smelling
Running car fumes
Yellow dust flower blooms
Factory chimney top
Spouting fumes
Yellow dust fruit bears
Yellow dust fruit called yellow dust
When ripen greedily
Above another city
Scattered in the blue sky
A grain called yellow dust
It begins to grow again and again
(Author’s Note)
Every late winter and early springtime. One of asian country called south korea suffers more and more a yellow dust that comes from china deseart. few charity and volunteer try to stop the dust wind by plating trees. that project had been about 100years. But seems like no achievement yet. I really miss clear blue sky. I wish one day we could prevent yellow dust for forever.
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