The road rises and falls ahead of me, Dusty gray asphalt shouldered by the Pale burnt orange of summer grass That whispers dryly as I pass. Down the center of the road between the pines, I notice how the mustard double lines Match the nodding goldenrod and Black-eyed Susans that stand Tall along the highway’s …
Insect rhythms rise and saw Beneath a half-moon midnight sky— Here a steady cricket’s chirping whir, There a syncopated shaker or an Intermittent washboard whisk. The invisible ensemble revels In jazzy solos and calls and responses, Weaving countless lines into a warm blanket Of song without a breath of silence— Incessant until the inscrutable conductor …
“It’s hard to resist, isn’t it?” “Yeah, I always walk by the plant section when I’m in here. I’m tempted to buy plants, even in the dead of winter when I know they’ll freeze.” We both laugh at ourselves and then push our buggies our separate ways along the grocery aisle. I wasn’t kidding, though. …
Spring is in the air, and jessamine’s in the pine tree’s hair. My second-story bedroom window looks out into a nearby stand of pine trees, and a flash of yellow caught my eye a few days ago as I opened my window shade. Grabbing a piece of paper, I dashed off a few exploratory lines …
"Second Glance" Not a tire in the road, but a turtle striking out on adventure. If you've ever dodged a turtle on the highway, I think you'll recognize this scene. Normally, I can distinguish turtles' distinct profile from a distance with the curve of their shell and the little neck arched out. This particular time, though, …
"New Seed" A pressed tree leafs out, painted veins distilling light— a seed sprouts within. "Tree Speak" Rustle, groan, and creak, paper pierced with ink. Silent? No, they ever speak. Both of these haiku explore how trees can be more than merely trees. They can create new worlds and have voices of their own when …
For me at least, every poetry journey starts in an unexpected way. If you’re reading this after watching Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix, then your journey to this spot had the same origin as mine a few months ago: the brief quote from the poem “Charcoal” by Ahn Do-Hyun that appears in Episode 12 of …
Continue reading Poems for the Autumn: A Collection of Korean Poetry by Ahn Do-Hyun
Twin paths that travel a thousand miles side by side, arms locked forever. The inspiration for this haiku came to me as I was driving along an interstate overpass and saw the twin silver rods of a railroad winking at me through the trees below. I thought about how this pair of iron rails rides …
Where is he, the promised seed? Where is the ram, the great I AM? Where is the priest who will intercede? Where is he, the prophet true? Where is the one, David’s greater Son? Where is the babe who was born this day? Where is he, born the Jewish king? Where is the child, a …
“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare once asked through the voice of Romeo. The same question crossed my mind when I stopped to contemplate the author of “The New Colossus.” The poem is one that comes to mind quite often when I consider the situation of immigrants and refugees around the world and particularly here in …
