A Short Piece

It must be that the azaleas
Bloom at dawn
And fall at dusk.

Over the low pine grove
Behind the rocks in Samchung Dong
They droop
Whenever the clouds pass.

All through April
Unnoticed by any
This year’s azaleas also
Must be blooming in the shade
And falling in the shade.

—Kim Gwang-gyoon

2007 | 152 pages