Lee Min-ha

Poetess Ms. Lee Min-ha was born in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea, and spent her childhood, and has since resided in Seoul. In 2000, she debuted through Contemporary Poetry and started her artistic activities. She published Fantasy Amputee, Like Music, Like Scandal, Imitation Forest, All the Secrets of the World, Microclimate. In 2012, she won the Contemporary Poetry Award; in 2022 Jihun Literary Award and Sanghwa Poetry Impression.

Picnic

Many flowers have bloomed. I was sitting on a flower-patterned mat.

The flower stem climbed up and grabbed the four corners of the flower-patterned mat.

People entered into the unfolding colors

I took out my sunglasses and sat down on the flower-patterned mat.

I was about to talk about spring, but my voice swelled.

The sound of the heavy rain spread like a siren.

People got up and went home

There were a lot of empty seats, and I was sitting on a flower-patterned mat.

I did not step out

I stretched my legs deeper into the ground

A shower of flowers passed by

I put my fingers together and carried the four corners of the floral mat.

I didn’t remove my feet

I stretched my legs farther into the ground

The black bags that were tossing and turning flew like crows

When the wind stopped, faces came out of the bags one by one.

I tried to talk about my dream, but my voice cracked.

I put my hand in the ground and traced the beginning of the story.

I trimmed the toes that stretched out in all directions like roots.

When butterflies pass by,

Wherever the protruding toes burst the soil

My body is weak, but I was sitting on a flower-patterned mat.

People came into the unfolding story

I sat on the edge without taking off my shoes

Petals are falling on my body

We sat on a flower-patterned mat.

***

피크닉

꽃들이 지천인데 꽃무늬 돗자리에 앉아 있었다

꽃줄기가 기어올라 꽃무늬 돗자리 네 귀퉁이를 움켜쥐었다

펼쳐진 색채 속으로 사람들이 들어왔다

색안경을 꺼내 쓰고 꽃무늬 돗자리에 앉았다

봄 이야기를 하려는데 목소리가 부르텄다

왁자한 빗소리가 사이렌처럼 퍼졌다

사람들이 일어나 집으로 돌아갔다

빈자리가 지천인데 꽃무늬 돗자리에 앉아 있었다

발을 빼지 않았다

더 깊이 땅속으로 다리를 뻗었다

소낙비가 후드득 꽃피를 쏟고 지나갔다

손가락을 모으고 꽃무늬 돗자리 네 귀퉁이를 날랐다

발은 빼지 않았다

더 멀리 땅속으로 다리를 뻗었다

뒤척이던 검은 봉지들이 까마귀처럼 날았다

바람이 멈추자 하나둘 봉지 속에서 얼굴들이 흘러나왔다

꿈 이야기를 하려는데 목소리가 갈라졌다

땅속에 손을 넣어 이야기의 처음을 더듬었다

사방으로 쭉쭉 늘어난 발가락들을 뿌리처럼 다듬었다

나비들이 스칠 때면

딸려 나오는 발가락들이 흙을 툭 툭 터뜨리는 자리마다

내 몸이 지천인데 꽃무늬 돗자리에 앉아 있었다

펼쳐진 이야기 속으로 사람들이 들어왔다

신발도 벗지 않고 가장자리에 앉았다

내 몸에서 꽃잎이 떨어지는데

우리는 꽃무늬 돗자리에 앉아 있었다

_______________