Korean Poem "24-Hour Convenience Store 1" By Choi Young-mi

 

24-Hour Convenience Store 1

                                    By Choi Young-mi

Drop by whenever it suits you,

wherever your feet or gaze may lead;

just kill the engine and pull up anywhere.

I’ll be there.

Even without a flower-decked palanquin,

wearing rouge on my cheeks and forehead,

keeping the lights burning all through the night,

I’ll be waiting for you.

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<About the Author>

Choi Young-mi (born September 25, 1961) is a South Korean poet and novelist.

Her debut poetry collection, *At Thirty, the Party Is Over*, created a major sensation in Korean society with its language—at once delicate and bold—and a fresh realism that confronted life in the here and now.

According to literary critic Choi Won-sik, "Choi Young-mi is an unfortunate poet who failed to receive proper recognition because the immense success of her debut collection caused her to be overshadowed by rumors and gossip unrelated to her literature."

Since her literary debut in 1992, she has published six poetry collections and novels such as *Scars and Patterns* and *The Bronze Garden*, as well as numerous essays on art and soccer; yet, in Korea, she remains best known as a poet.