come, stay and let's talk. it's a good day to be alive
홀로 서있는 너를 보았다.
떠나는 나를 보고 슬퍼하는 너를 향해
앞으로 달려갔다.
우리가 마주한지 많은 해가 지내갔다.
마지막으로 너를 마주했던 나는 어렸다.
아무것도 모른채, 오직 너만을 바랬다.
그 후로 목숨을 걸 수 밖에 없는 순간들이 많았다.
뒤돌아설 수도, 도망칠 수도 없는 순간들을
정신 없이 싸우고 살아남고 나니 깨달았다.
나는, 너를, 정말로, 진심으로 좋아했고,
이 세상에, 그만큼, 중요한것은, 사실은, 없다는걸.
죽음이 내 앞에 앉아 기다리고 있다 한들,
나는 떳떳하게 말할 수 있다는걸 깨달았다.
그 모든 순간들의 역경을 버티고
나에게 주어진 짤막한 순간에
나는 너에게 마지막의 웃음을 지으며 이렇게 말한다.
"야, 내가 너를 많이 좋아하는거, 알지?"
내 눈이 너의 눈을 바라 보았고
나는 너의 입술에 입을 맞췄다.
그 순간, 나는 꿈에서 깨어났다.
4.22.2026
In the early evening in New York City,
I walked into a tin can subway train
from Washington Heights station infested with mice,
pulled out my MacBook, and start typing away my research paper.
My concentration was broken only
when three convivial middle aged Black joggers entered the same car.
In between giggles of two women, the Black man said —
“Whew, did not know this neighborhood that safe!”
And each set in a respective seats that formed a triangle around me.
Proud, dignified, exhuming adrenergic from a recent run,
they laughed and chatted like a clear-day sunlight.
Among them in my feigned naïveté and gravitas, I basked in their magnificence.
As the train rumbled through into the Downtown New York,
People started coming in — armored in Patagonia vests, Theory coats, and On sneakers.
As the chirping of young, flush, White professionals, lauding their inebriated blindness grew louder
the three gradually became mum, withering into three tree branches.
Soon, the quietly exited the car.
I left the roaring subway car after a couple stops.
Their story had smeared on my heart
And I knew I would remember them for a long time,
keeping their secret to myself.
4.21.2026
Grow. Do not wait and watch.
Let your words come out
and blossom the mind
into a planetarium of worlds
interconnected in mystic lyrics
devised in surreptitious
yet plainly simple ways.
Let it bloom.
4.20.2026
오랜만에 언덕을 올라 갔을 때
바람이 불었다.
익숙하면서도 새로운 바람이
내 손끝에서 팔과 어깨를 스쳐 갔을 때
수년 전의 사람이 떠올려졌다.
놓을 저녁과 부드럽게 어울리던 그 미소가
서서히 내 가슴 속에 물들어 갈 때
차갑게 응어리진 무언가가 녹아들 때
고개들어 태양을 마주 보며 말하였다.
고맙다고.
지켜봐 달라고.
4.18.2026
Despite a white fog blinding the eye,
a firm, steady, and sturdy belief is there.
Each thread woven a day after another
surely, it is there somewhere.
Let us have fun rather than fear.
May our courage be in favor
and wisdom guide us prudently
just as a drop of dew clears the fog.
4.12.2026
Keep going. Keep talking.
Be honest, bring warmth and clarity.
Let the fear pass by you
and walk freely as if no one is watching.
Dream on. Keep going.
4.9.2026
What mattered in the end
was the ability to respond to a need:
Art, philosophy, and materials.
Whether you can solve the problem
within the five time is up to you.
Face the puzzle. Daydream later.
4.6.2026
Have you reached your limit before?
Like, the true dead end of your ability?
Have you looked at your friend and wondered
how much they have worked?
So, take off that smugness
Listen quietly
and keep on working.
Your body, your mind, and everyone will know
whether you have done your best.
3.31.2026
When the sky was empty like the deep blue ocean,
I stopped and asked:
do you still remember the way you thought?
In the long, bright, and cold day sitting in a cafe
what you mumbled to yourself,
what you daydreamed into the thin air,
and what you have silently wished would happen,
did those come to you after all?
sliding through your fingers
like the silky sand of Saharan desert
maybe they’ve been filling your heart
with glimpses of smile, flashes of joy, and marks of stays.
3.30.2026
Do you know where you stand now?
Do you know what you really want?
Do you know what you believe in?
Let’s worry about the time later.
Let’s just live in the moment.
And each moment will build
as long as we accept and remember.
Yes, it may hurt. Yes, it may be confusing.
That’s why you need to study your memories
and make it your own
instead of letting it chase you down.
Right now,
Right here,
what are you?
3.29.2026
Ralph with Coffee 
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