Doug Sylver
Coming Attractions
Raining today. Got umbrellas from the front desk. Deciding to stay indoors, took the subway across the Han River to an enormous underground shopping plaza. The Starfield Library in the COEX mall is, like Seoul itself, massive and vertical. Bookshelves stacked fifty feet high. Couldn’t figure out how to reach them. A whole section dedicated to foreign authors.
We found Korean translations of books we’ve read, from Hemingway to Harry Potter. Outside, a huge statue of hand on wrist for Gangnam style, with Psy on a big screen, tourists lining up for photographs.
Then, through the rain with our umbrellas open, on to the nearby Bongeunsa Temple. Rows of blue, green and yellow lanterns above us. Buddha statues.
Red slate-tiled pavilions. April cherry blossoms. Not crowded in the cold rain. Humbling in the daytime but must be even more so at night.
We wandered, separately, a long time. Silently, peacefully.
against the ancient wall
separating us from
the modern world
aspiring models
posing for selfies
About the Author
Doug Sylver’s writing can be found in Drifting Sands, The Sun Magazine, The New York Times and Fixator Press, among other publications. He is a recently retired public high school teacher and lives with his love, Monica, in Seattle.