1) House for Sale
Wolran Kim
I put my house for sale
Past years laid in piles in every corner
I had to organize and display them neatly
Forgotten furnishings were buried like ashes
The buyers’ clever eyes would focus on blind spots like a microscope
Unveiling naked images under the sun is a fear
Enlarged family photos were hidden in the closet earlier
Just like a criminal montage with a reward offered
Success depends on the first impression
Like an elderly person on a blind date
Makeup on the defects should be natural
With no plastic surgery
People who come through the front door with the master key
Expect beautiful views and gorgeous interiors
They work for a dirt-cheap price looking for the best deal
They will open the toilets as if they’re revealing right from wrong
And will open the closet doors as if they’re assigning grades
Checking the heating and ventilation, lighting, and water pressure
All legal invasions of my privacy coming through the screen
Talkative neighbors inquire about the market condition and price
While distributing handbills
Age is a shameful past even without any flaws
Every neighborhood is full of houses for sale
Such is a human desire to leave this land
Where do they want to leave to?
A nest with a shameful SHORT SALE amulet
Just like a prostitute hidden in the alleyway
Dares to name a dog cheap price
The opportunity passes if they don’t hold the pen instinctively
If they don’t sign without calculating their gains and losses
Old house made by the years
Became a nuisance that must be cleared away
While eating a lifetime of paychecks
Today, people look like frauds coming through the door
Minor mistakes cannot be tolerated in their future possessions
Market price is heaven and the practical price is earth
The nest is in danger because I got greedy first
Brokers never ring the doorbell
We burned candles to remove the moldy past
And left home, running away from the enemies
Let the rising sun set only on happy memories
Getting rid of lonely traces of the dog
Leaving only this disguised home on the stage
Waiting for someone’s click online, buying our past
The FOR SALE sign flew away in high winds last night
And made love with the fallen leaves in the air
The abandoned roof wanders like a lost dog
The house burns in embarrassment
As if I put myself on SALE on the street