Made in Korea

Made in Korea

Yong Wan Choi 06.01.08

The child worn ragged by war has grown up, you know
apartments stand where the shell smoke used to hang
even with day wages earned in the Vietnam War
Seoul houses were way too pricey, they say
the Korean Peninsula marathon, run in nothing but underpants—
mid-race we ran short of electricity, so we staged a military revolution
and in the eighties we worked the miracle of the rice bowl
in the skirt-wind of Madame Freedom mothers
maiden mothers, swallowing their babies' tears,
traded them for brightly smiling foreign money
the UN soldiers' housemaid became a big-money auntie
and grown-ups became children again in front of the TV
we won a Nobel Prize and served as UN Secretary-General
went from the wig trade to electronics and automobiles
blue eyes go round as if looking at diamonds
and dark faces are amazed, as if they'd seen a drunken elephant
no need to be, really
small eyes, low noses, high cheekbones are dancing the horse dance
so new inventions and wondrous ideas come pouring out
a six-year-old today will jump out of his skin at sixty
just flip on the switch and keep watching
the earth has only turned halfway around so far