Poem: Gaksan (…take a hike with me!)

Gaksan

a poem from the book With Open Arms: Poetry for Big Love and Real Life

In town, my life is all manmade

GS-25, kimbap shops, and power lines

Waiting, rushing, looking both ways

Concrete, asphalt and flashing signs

But then there’s you

You are the backdrop of my days

Beckoning me, reminding me of something bigger

From here, at this distance you too

Look a bit grey

Like me and my town

But I know you now

I know that up close

You are a stunner

I walk past the bakeries and the HomePlus

And across the bridge, and the trash-strewn river

It’s here that I doubt myself

And want to turn back

But I know you now

You are worth it

I cross the busy street

And walk the steep road to your base

Now, from here, I see only you

Thank you for being here

My human friends aren’t around today

Chingu eopsseoyo! :-(

But you are. Chingu isseoyo! :-)

And, you… are magnificent

Your brownery and greenery

Your paths and your scenery

Like a faithful lover

I fall in sync with you

And am still surprised by you

Though, I know you now

Ah yes, at the breast of this curve

The view opens to the pines and sky above

And here, I catch a glimpse of the sea

And from here, the town looks like what it is

The playthings of humanity

And now I’m at the yaksuteo

I don’t need to carry water, you deliver it to me

Right when I need it, mid-mountain, sparkling

I scoop a red ladleful and drink it, resting my mind

And on up, walking in peace

With every step, you heal me, soothe me,

Take away my rough edges and smooth me

At the top, I stand arms wide open

The better to feel you and thank you,

Gaksan! Chingu isseoyo!

——

Read more about how you can use “Nature as Healer” in my book Tuning In to Inner Peace: The Surprisingly Fun Way to Transform Your Life