—Seoul, Korea 1971
Father gave her a little extra. How could she not
fall for him? He was handsome
but still a boy. In the depot where soldiers
took such women, his skinny body clung
too close to hers and his narrow ass still
belonged to his mother. The other men
knew the routine and how much to pay.
She loathed their accent and American swagger.
The sweat would barely cool and dry
before another shook the cot and bucked his hips
out of rhythm—in some other time zone.
--However, he began to offer other things
besides money. He brought sweets from the base
and the minute he touched his pocket
the face she reserved for his English crumbled
like sweet toffee. Because he didn't know how
to say what he wanted to say, no time
was spent on uneasiness. Chocolate,
caramel and peanuts spoke best, secured
his place. He hooked his arms through hers as if
they could stroll the lane like an ordinary couple:
the unassuming black and the Korean whore
in the middle of the Vietnam War.
The poem that I chose is Bedtime Story #1 by Sjohnna McCray. I selected this poem because it depicts love (in some sense) and war existing within the same realm. Love and War have a tendency to go together like oil and vinegar so I thought the concept for this poem was very interesting. I love how the poem serves a double purpose. While on one hand the poem reflects realities of the Vietnam War and visuals from the perspective of a sex worker, the end of the poem depicts a romantic relationship that not only exists within a war zone amongst people who otherwise would not cross paths, but is also not strictly based off of the physical. Something about an attraction/relationship that defies language barriers and social expectations just makes me really happy. I felt like I had to choose this poem
I really liked what you said about love and hate being similar to oil and vinegar. I find it interesting that love and hate often do go together. Is it because love can persist amongst hate, or is it that in order to hate someone, you must first love them (on some level)? The end of the poem was nice -- two unlikely people together against the social norms. I also liked how despite the relationship starting out as a way to make money (for the woman) and a way to find momentary pleasure (for the man), it became something more. He saw her as person instead of just a whore, something that the rest of her society refused to see.
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