Written by Josh Wood and students
The following three poems were submitted by individual students for their final speaking exam at Jungma High School in Gwangyang, Jeollanam-do. Josh Wood is the ETA at Jungma High.
Hero
Insecure to intend something
That had never been imagined,
Faithless to face something
That had never been fought for,
She was that sort of silent sheep.
One day,
Unintentionally, inevitably,
And irrecoverably,
She saw the salvation in her solitude.
She resisted to retrieve the right,
Eliminating her limits,
Struggling to set a fire
Revealing her rebelliousness.
At length, she won a war with herself.
Now,
She is worth a warm welcome
Waiting for her.
— Seung Hoo Song
My Winter
The sun sets so early.
Cold air touches my face.
Winter is around the corner,
And everyone is bustling around preparing for winter.
My winter is colder than that of others.
I have no one to hold my hands,
I have no one to hug me,
I have no one to warm my cold cheeks.
My winter is warmer than that of others.
With the handmade food,
The hand warmer worth five hundred won and,
The scarf my mom made for me.
The sun sets so early.
Cold air touches my face.
Winter is around the corner,
And everyone is bustling around preparing for winter.
— Seung-hui Yang
The Tree
When I walked on the street
Saw many fallen leaves
Yellow, orange, brown and charcoal…
Seemed as if they were whispering in my ear
Do not mash me!
Do not stamp me down!
Do not hurt me anymore!
I am sad enough
As I was abandoned from this tree
Looked like just what I was
I was already mashed out
I was already stamped down
I was already hurt by this world
Nevertheless, look at me now!
I am still alive
Getting older, getting taller, getting wiser
Than last year—oh!
Want to whisper in the ear of the leaves
You are not abandoned
Because of you
Because you were here
This tree will be here forever
Like I will be in this world forever
— Cha-lui Park