Orders and Differences  
            by Sun Young Paek

Numbers and alphabets
Have
Orders

Our
Eye levels
Don't have order
But
Only
Differences

Orders
In their visible system
Have both joy and sorrow

The invisible
Eye levels
Have love and dream
Also do they have
Hidden pain and despair

I am wondering
If the numbers
Make the differences of the eye levels
Weigh the same

                                                                                                                                                                     
            
                                        
A Concealed Family Photo 
                by Sun Young Paek

     The last photo is picked up from the tank in the darkroom 
  The white glossy paper is stil wet 
     Two trembling hands 
       suppress swelling blue vein 
    White illusion reveals itself slowly but surely

The picture minus noise passes by
Tired soldiers march overnight
Dark trail winds through rain
A lightning flash
A drunk driving car marches into the march

Two people came back on stretchers
from the unusual battlefield
Major Paek and his aide
are baek from the minefields of the Vietnam War

Carrying them wrapped in Taegeuk flag
Our broken -off absolute value broke down and cried !
With his new suits and shoes in the wardrobe
With just a few days before his honorable discharge
A requiem makes me shudder
in the cut off combat boots
Ssitkim-gut, the exorcism rite is in session

Sometimes
When I open up my heart and check
The most treasured beauty is well kept
Where it is not visible

Translated by Andy Kim