This very moment

Today, right now

Is our golden time for each other!

Ms. Yang Geum-Hee, an acclaimed poetess from Korea, shares her poem

Poetess Ms. Yang Geum-Hee, born in 1967 in Jeju, Korea, has published four poetry collections and received eight literary awards in recognition of her contributions to literature. Her poetry collections include Happiness Account, Ieodo: The Island of Legend and Reality, Nests of Birds (published in Taiwan), and Nests of Birds (a bilingual English-Korean edition). In addition, she has authored a research book titled Inheritance of Ieodo Culture and an essay collection titled A Happy Companion on the Journey. In acknowledgment of her extensive contributions to international literature, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the International Forum for Creativity and Humanity (President Dr. Aziz Mountassir) in the Kingdom of Morocco in March 2025. Poet Ms. Yang was the founding President of the Ieodo Literature Association, Editor-in-Chief of Jejuin News, a researcher at the Jeju Sea Grant Center, a specially appointed professor at Jeju International University, and the second President of the Korean Association of World Literature. She currently serves as an editorial writer for Samda Ilbo, President of Jeju PEN, and Vice President of the Korean Peace Cooperation. Her poetry has been translated into multiple languages and introduced in countries including the United States, China, Japan, Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain, England, Taiwan, Nepal, Egypt, Greece, Pakistan, Vietnam, Albania, Bangladesh, Kosovo, Tajikistan, Belgium, and beyond.

Golden Time

The time I’ve passed

Has already become a radiant jewel.

So now,

Instead of lingering in the past,

I choose to focus on this moment, today.

 

What was once unfamiliar

Becomes as if it had always been so.

What creaked and scraped

Grows smooth over time.

 

I’ve come to see

The gentleness hidden behind sharpness.

 

Some days, time flies like a bullet,

And other days, a second stretches on like centuries.

Yet time keeps shaping the present,

Never pausing,

Flowing at its own pace.

 

It fills our gaps,

Polishes even the tiniest cracks,

Turning us into shining gems

An artistry that makes each other gleam.

 

This very moment

Today, right now

Is our golden time for each other!

***

황금시간

지나온 시간은

충분히 빛나는 보석이 되었기에,

나는 이제

과거보다 오늘,

지금 이 순간에 집중하려 한다.

 

낯설던 것들이

본래 그러했던 듯 익숙해지고,

삐걱거리던 날들이

어느새 매끄럽게 다듬어진다.

 

뾰족했던 말끝 너머

감춰져 있던 부드러움을

이제는 알아볼 수 있다.

 

어떤 시간은

총알처럼 스쳐가고,

또 어떤 시간은

일 초가 수백 년처럼 느껴진다.

 

그러나 시간은 매 순간을 빚어내고

그 어디에도 머무르지 않은 채

자신만의 리듬으로 흘러간다.

 

서로의 빈틈을 메우고,

미세한 균열을 닦아낸 시간,

그 모든 순간이

서로를 빛나게 하는 세공의 시간이었다.

 

오늘, 지금

우리가 함께하는 이 순간이야 말로

서로를 위한 황금시간이다.

_________________ 

Read – Poetry: When I Look at a Flower