Korean Poem "Illicit Love"

 Illicit Love

                                               by Oh Bong-ok

I become a torrential downpour, pounding down upon my own head, to sever the heart that longs to reach you. I become a germ, burrowing into the raw edges of my wounds, to reignite the fire of desire for you. A dozen times a day, I rush forward, wondering if there is anything in this world that isn't a sin. I leave bloody footprints against the towering thorn-hedge that bars the way to you, only to realize—*no, this isn't right*—and turn back. I erase the footprints left by that solitary retreat. Afraid—terrified—that you, too, might stumble and plunge into those traces.

About the Author (OH Bong ok)

Born in Gwangju in 1961. 

Studied Korean Language and Literature at the Yonsei University Graduate School. Made his literary debut in 1985 by publishing "Within My Fence" and seven other poems in the anthology *New Poems by 16 Poets* (Changbi Publishers). Poetry collections include *Jirisan Reed Flowers*, *Red Mountain, Black Blood* (Vols. 1 & 2), and *Even Someone Like Me Falls in Love*. Prose collection: *I Dream of Being a Poet on a Salary*. Children's story collections: *The Little Prince Comes to Seoul* (Vols. 1 & 2). Criticism collection: *The Emptiness and Form of Poetry and Sijo*. Serves as a South Korean compilation committee member for the *Grand Dictionary of the Korean Language* (Kyoremal Keunsajeon) and as a professor in the Department of Creative Writing at Seoul Digital University.

Reflections: From my middle and high school days through college, I loved a certain girl for nearly a decade. It was essentially an unrequited love.

We attended different schools, and she even started dating a boyfriend at hers. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to let go of my feelings. I would go to her campus to see her, tag along to her classes, and hover on the sidelines of her dates.

All the while, a voice inside me kept saying, "This isn't right—this really isn't right..."

It was during this period of wavering between longing and reality that I came across Oh Bong-ok’s poem "Adultery." It captured my feelings so perfectly. Although it wasn't actually an illicit affair, I felt just like a foolish man entangled in one.