Raised in the midst of war
You stubborn, tenacious, little girl
You saved your friends
and lost your family
You rode on the top of trains
to make room for the sick
and the elderly
You met an American Soldier
Who had a big mustache and
a long face
You didn't know English, but
you fell in love with him
The odds were against you
but still you moved across
the ocean
To a place that didn't
understand you or
the way you spoke, or the way
you looked.
You had a little girl who died
and your racist Mother-in-law
crudely said,
"Wake up, your baby is dead."
You had four more daughters
Your husband was always away
And yet you had time to make
Hot breakfast every morning
sew 17 dresses in one summer
and never complain
Your daughters grew up
and gave you 8 grandchildren
we were your light
and you made us laugh
and taught us how to be strong
in the face of adversity
For 7 years you fought this illness
and in all those 7 years
of over 60 blood transfusions
and practically living
from hospital to hospital
you were patient and you never
once lost your spirit.
Even in our last day together
You held my hand with so much strength
though your body was weak and failing you
In your hand I felt all the love you had for me
All the love you had for our family
and I know you did everything for us
I miss the way you swear
your tenacious strength
your incredible tenderness
holding your hand
feeling comfort in your quiet presence
Even though you're gone
and I will never see you again,
I feel you. I feel you in my heart
I feel you in my hands, I feel you
in my soul. I feel you every time
I stand up to some one and tell them
No.
You always said, "I'm a rich woman"
because you had us. You told me,
"If I asked for anything more,
I would be greedy."
The reality is, we were all rich because
we had you.
I am so grateful for you. I miss you.
I love you.
My Grandmother, who immigrated to America from South Korea in the 50s, passed away on March 1st, 2014. She was the strongest, feistiest person I knew. I wanted to capture her spirit.