Please, leave me alone.
Just stop paying attention to me.
As imperfect as I am, I’ll do all that I can.
Poet Kim Ji Heon was born in Ganggyeong, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea, and graduated from the Department of Science Education at Soodo Women’s Teachers College. She made her literary debut in 1997 through the prestigious poetry journal Modern Poetics (Hyundae Sihak). Since then, she has expanded the horizons of contemporary Korean poetry through her profound lyricism and deep awareness of life. Her published poetry collections include The Road to the Next Village (Siwa Sihak), Pocket Watch (Goryeowon), Golden Flocks of Bean Geese (Literature and Boundary), The Temple of the Crape Myrtle (Sian), and She Had a Heart (Modern Poetics Featured Poets Series). Her poetry collection She Had a Heart was selected for the 2021 ARKO Literary Sharing Program, recognizing its literary excellence and public value. She received the Minerva Literary Award in 2020 and the Wildflower Literary Award in 2021. Kim Ji Heon formerly served as Editor-in-Chief of the biannual literary journal Korean Poets. She currently serves as a Director and Vice President of the Korean Poets Association.
Perfect
The quince has come through seasons of bitterness and astringency.
The grub, in its own way,
The ant, in its own way,
Has walked a lifetime to arrive here.
Words, blocked by an impenetrable wall,
Never becoming a poem, scattering at last without context.
The truth is, I never wanted to cross that wall.
Please, leave me alone.
Just stop paying attention to me.
As imperfect as I am, I’ll do all that I can.
완벽
모과는 텁텁하고 떫은 시간을 건너 왔다
굼벵이는 굼벵이대로
개미는 개미대로
일생을 걸어 도착했다
넘어 설 수 없는 두꺼운 벽에 가로막혀
끝내 시가 되지 못하고 맥락 없이 흩어지는 말들
실은 저 벽 넘어서고 싶었던 적 없었다
제발 관심 끊어줘
모자란 대로
할 만큼 해볼 테니까
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