[Afternoon Poem] Dosirak Picnic / Park Seong-woo

Fluffy clouds pass over the river, and flocks of magpies fly between the willow and persimmon trees.

My friend Jongdae and I, who entered and exited the same school gate throughout our childhood, somehow find ourselves sitting again under the shade of the zelkova trees by the riverside, eating lunch together. We take out everything from our childhood classrooms?the blackboard scribbles, the long corridors, the swings under the cherry trees, even the sound of the piano?and share the lunch packed by Jongdae’s wife. My friend Jongdae, who doesn’t have to eat alone, brought a lunchbox and even ice for coffee for me, who has to eat alone. After finishing our lunch, Jongdae and I sit on a rock under the shade of the oak tree, holding iced coffee, gazing at the river, the fluffy clouds, and the flocks of magpies,

becoming boys carrying empty lunchboxes on their backs, going to catch crickets.

■ Lunchboxes are delicious. Absolutely delicious. Jonghoon’s bellflower root salad, Doohi’s ham stir-fry, Uichang’s soy-braised black beans?all ours, so we eat everything together. The spam that Hyungjun carefully hid under the rice, the instant noodles he treasured from the school store?whoever eats first owns it. Regardless of report cards or how many times first love has been broken, when we pour everything into a big bowl and mix it, the lunchbox disappears without a single grain of rice left before we even finish mixing. I want to eat a lunchbox. Pretty, neat, sincere, fresh... No, none of that matters. Plain rice and a spoon are enough. Because there are friends! Because friends bring all the delicious side dishes! ?Poet Cha Sangwoo

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