Poet Kim Sun-Young was born in Kaesong, Gyeonggi Province. She graduated from Sudo Women’s Teachers College and later served as a teacher at Sudo Girls’ Middle School and as a professor at Sejong University. In 1962, she made her literary debut in Hyundae Munhak(Modern Literature) after her poems Bluebird, Echo, and Graffiti of the Seasons were recommended for publication. She was also an active member of the literary coterie Cheongmi (靑眉). Since the publication of her first poetry collection, Saga (思歌), in 1969, she has published 15 poetry collections, including The Shoe Store of Emptiness (1972), Wildflower Ritual (1976), Atmosphere of Fantasy (1976), Words Written at Night (1982), God Who Lives in the Lilac Tree (1983), Song of Longing (1987), and To Shatter (2008). She has received numerous literary awards, including the Contemporary Poetry Award and the Korean Literature Award. She has also served as an advisory board member of the Korean Poets Association and the Korean Women Writers’ Association, as well as a member of the International PEN Korea Center.
THE VEGETATIVE NATURE OF LONGING
Even when erased,
Even when erased again,
It reappears like a crescent moon,
Grows beyond a half-moon,
Becomes a full moon.
Like a face
Drifting as a full moon,
People hang
The space of longing
In their hearts.
Love,
Even when one tries to forget,
Has a terrifying vegetative nature—
It reveals itself, it grows.
That is why tonight is a full moon.
Prepared by Angela Kosta Executive Director of the Magazines: MIRIADE, NUANCES ON THE PANORAMIC CANVAS, BRIDGES OF LITERATURE, journalist, poet, essayist, publisher, literary critic, editor, translator, promoter
