swifts  &  s l o w s · a quarterly of crisscrossings

statue of peace
Melanie Hyo-In Han

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The Korean Word for “Again”

is 다시
ㄷ ㅏ ㅅ ㅣ
pronounced
d for ㄷ
a for ㅏ
sh for ㅅ
i for ㅣ
dashi
again
does she
ask
다시 again
does she
dash from
one language
to the other
bash one
language
not the other
does she
pause
take a break
add an
em-dash
in her brain
do her words
crash
does she see
the gash
does she gasp

When Whales Fight

it is the shrimp whose back breaks

고래들 whales
싸움에 fight
새우 shrimp
등 back
터진다 explodes

the whales:

china
japan
united states
soviet union

different whales
different seas
different times

the result is always the same

Statue of Peace

Your lightly clenched fists rest on your chima,
your gaze firm and dignified, fixed on the Japanese embassy.
Barefoot and patient, you sit in silence,
your vigilance unnerving the unjust.

Your childlike face framed by chin-length hair,
your jeogori holds closed violations of the past.
Born from one thousand weekly demonstrations
urging Japan to own up to their war crimes,

you remain steadfast in rain or snow,
ever hopeful for reconciliation.
You sit alone but not lonely, a statue of peace,
a reminder to never forget the cost of war.

Korea and Japan: The Differences

Outside the pulsing Tokyo Metro Station
a small street leads the way to a quiet lantern-lit alley
beckoning curious travelers in search of affordable local cuisine.

With cash transactions between customer and waiter
complete with a choreographed bow of respect
the past and present perform a delicate duet.

Falling autumn leaves flirt
as they delay the inevitable: they avoid the
immaculate streets for as long as the wind will allow them.

And if I said this was all happening outside the
Seoul Metro Station instead of in Tokyo,
would anyone think to question me?

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Born in Korea and raised in East Africa, Melanie Hyo-In Han recently moved from the U.S. to the U.K., where she is a Ph.D. candidate in Creative Writing. She is the author of My Dear Yeast (Milk & Cake  Press, 2023) and Sandpaper Tongue, Parchment Lips (Finishing Line Press, 2021), as well as the translator of several collections of Spanish poetry (Hebel Ediciones). Han has received fellowships from Sundress Academy and Banff Centre and is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Flora Fiction and Two Languages Prize Editor at Gasher Press. Learn more about Han at melaniehan.com.