Green grass water

Until a week ago, people told each other to be safe from Covid-19. But now people ask each other whether they aren’t harmed by the heavy rain. People call their friends and family living in Seoul or South Chungcheong Province to ask if they are okay from the rain. The entire nation is in panic.

I had to pick up my daughter who was stuck in a building because of the rain. The rain was up to my waist. I had to raise my arms. It was very dangerous and smelled really bad. The smell didn’t get off easily when I washed the clothes.

You can wash your shoes and clothes. But it is way more devastating for those who lost their homes and stores. What should we do about the lost lives and the despair of the ones left behind? As this burning pain isn’t easily gone, I’d like to introduce a poem called “Green Grass Water.” If you blame me for reading a poem in this chaotic situation, I’d say, this poem represents our feeling.

You might associate something fresh when seeing the title, Green Grass Water, but this poem is quite painful. The grass water stained on the pants of the poet is, in fact, blood and pain. It doesn’t go off easily. And even if it goes off, it doesn’t mean the pain any longer exists. It will be heartbreaking to see another rain this summer.