Kim Ki Dong, South Korea

Por: Kim Ki Dong

PROMETEO
Latinoamerican Poetry Magazine
No 81-82. July 2008.

VISION OF THE PAST

The rice paper makes noises in the loose door
The draft of ice cold wind freezes the cup of water
Under a single blanket it´s as if We were carrying the naked floor
This poverty where nothing is mine or yours is paradise

KIM KI DONG was born in Seosan, Province of Choong Nam, Korea, on June 25th, 1938. He’s a poet, essayist and doctor in theology. He’s a member of the International Association of Poets, Dramatists, Editors, Essayists and Novelists (PEN) and of the Korean Association of Writers. He has published, among others, the poem book “Beautiful Flowers Drowned in the Heart” and the autobiographical poem collection “Life’s Journey as a Strong and Rapid Wind”. In addition, he has published several essay books including “A Mountain With Histories” and “Through All My Life”. He received, among others, the Korean Literature Award in 1997 and 2004. In the words of Shin Kyungrim, "In the poetry of Wol San (poetic name of Kim Ki Dong, which means "the moon on the summit of the mountain") is our lost past. In a word, our last days were a dark and miserable tunnel. Our yearned for dream was to get out of there, but many people do not wish to remember that ill-fated time, nevertheless some do not forget it. Maybe because of the memory of such poverty, of such darkness? We left it behind, but we also left behind many things, aside from poverty and shortage, that could enrich our life today. There will be things that will illuminate our lives, that will fill the emptiness in which we live in, but it is clear that the past is past, and that being satisfied with it or wanting to return to it can mean a future filled with pain and suffering. Nevertheless, there is work and effort in the poetry of Wol San, because he always looks for the lost values that could enrich our life. The question arisen by his poetry through the evocation of the past is: What is the path that man should walk to reach a dignified life?”