Green Onion Flowers by Ji Hye Shin Fighting off darkness Before the bread of dawn, Dad rises In the onion field, the young flowers of the green onions rise and fall Dad gathers bunch of darkness, warms himself with it like a stove "Let me see" Then he readily pulls up the onions one after another, ties them in bundles Ever-greenish sap keeps oozing like tears As he makes bunch after bunch at the break of dawn It the basement of jamsil Department Store I see the fathers who have tied the tough world into bundles in ther Places They gather from all corners, sit around the fountain I hear them talking about the green stories in the midwinter onion field Inside their eyes,the white flowers of green onions wave hi Daughters, like the grass flowers blooming at the feet, ask Dad "You want us to buy a pair of thermal underwear for you? Your jacket is too thin." "That's Okay. I can manage." Waving aside dozens of times US poor daughters Father drops in the apple of his eye
The outdoor performance gets started Krum dance troupe spinning round and round The music band playing under the evening glow Father sings six-word tune On the hilltop of his singing heart I suddenly see all the green onion flowers showing off in white blossom And I shed a drop of acrid tear - Translated by Andy Kim
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