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Ronald J Chapman Dec 2014
National Liberation Day Of Korea

Freedom means August 15, 1945.
Koreans celebrate their day of liberation.

Freedom is like a Magpie,
Flying in the morning sky,
Above the ancient palaces of Seoul,

Freedom is like the Rose of Sharon,
Growing in "The land of morning calm."

Freedom is like a river named Han,
Unstoppable!

Freedom means flying the Taegeukgi.
Outside and high!

Freedom is Lively,
Freedom is President Moon Jae-in
President of South Korea,

Freedom is vibrant!
Freedom is festivals,

Freedom is unhindered!
Freedom is a Buddhist monk,
Everland!,

Freedom is unbound!
Freedom is tasty Kimchi,
Deoksugung Palace!

Freedom is lively parties,
Freedom is dancing,
The greatest Palaces of Seoul!

Freedom is treasured!

Freedom is a green bottle,
Soju!

Freedom is Arirang!
Korea's song,
A gift to the world from Korea,

Freedom is Queen Min; Still remembered,
Resting under a cherry blossom tree,

Freedom is Seoul!
A wonder to be seen on the Han River!

Freedom is luminous,
Busan Nightlife,
Changdeokgung Palace!

Freedom is unchained!
Freedom is sports,
Jeju-do!

Freedom is escape!
Freedom is honor!
Battle of Inchon!

Freedom is rising in the sky,
One of the most dynamic cities,
Seoul!

Freedom is no longer
Imprisoned,
Freedom is camping,

Freedom is priceless!
Freedom is one's honor!
Deoksugung Palace!

Freedom is treasured!
Freedom is the miracle,
Seoul!

Freedom is food,
Freedom is Kimchi,

Freedom is hopeful,
Freedom is Yu Gwan-sun!
Long live Korean independence!

Freedom is a Buddhist monk writing,
Freedom is thinking about your dreams,
Not looking behind your back!

Freedom is a child going to school,
Freedom is ultra-modern,
Seoul!

Freedom is escape!
Freedom is music,
K-POP!

Freedom is Arirang playing,
Freedom is essential,
White Day!

Freedom, people, shining in the sun,
Freedom is loved,
Yuna Kim!

Freedom is essential,
Freedom is "The March 1st Movement",
Yu Gwan-sun!

Freedom is shopping,
Freedom is walking our dogs,

Freedom is writing what you think,
Freedom is Sejong the Great!,
Hangul!

Freedom is bringing your dreams into the world,
Freedom is poetry,
Yun ****-ju!

Freedom is traditions,
Freedom is wearing Hanbok.

Freedom is being empowered!

Freedom is.
Freedom is.
Freedom is.

A United Korea!!!

Copyright © 2013 - 2017 Ronald J Chapman All Rights Reserved.
Learn Korean Holidays - National Liberation Day
with English Subtitles
http://youtu.be/Qdvo6ez4VlU
Ronald J Chapman Jan 2016
Even though discovering Korea. Began with two tragedies in my life.
I consider June 2, 2012, (the day I found Korea) one of the luckiest days of my long life.  

"Serendipity The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way."  However, I had to experience tragedy before discovering one of the most beautiful places on Earth.  But my pain does not even come close to the pain the Korean people have gone through to achieve the Miricle of Han.

Let's see. After a tragedy in my life, the loss of my bride days before we were to be married, 40 years ago seemed to send me on a path  Far to the East that I never knew existed.

Four decades of not caring about anything, just waking up going to work. Maybe celebrating the holidays with my family.  Never finding anyone or anything to love again.  

Until that day in August of 2009, When I stood in front of Heavin's gate.
That day when my heart stopped, and I thought but only a dream.

That day, I saw my wife with Angel wings, My mother standing beside her.  Telling me, “We miss you, but your must return to the Earth".  Your adventure is just beginning.

On September 1, 2009,  I met my Guardian Angel Sarah.
Sarah taught me that anything was possible.   Never give up! Dreams do come true. Just look at the starry sky and believe each star is a dream that will come true.

Three years with Angel Sarah by my side.

Sarah introduced me to a beautiful Angel named Tiffany.
On June  2, 2012.  Tiffany was singing with a voice of an Angel.

The curious thing about this is, Tiffany was not singing a Korean song or in the Korean language.

But Tiffany bewitched me.
Her beautiful eyes told me to look to the Far East.  Look to Korea.
To a place called a Miricle. A place you loved and lived in the past.

Tiffany made me dream of Arirang. A sad song but a song of never giving up. "A song of love. A song of faith!"

"Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo...
Crossing over Arirang Pass.
The one who abandoned me
Shall not walk even 4 kilometers before their feet hurt."

Tiffany took my hand and lifted me up to surf the Korean wave ("Hallyu".)

I began to fly above Korea.

I started to remember impossible things in dreams; Memories of Queens. Remembering, I was shipwrecked on a beautiful island.
Remembering, an enchanting dark-eyed princess with long soft black hair.

Waking from a dream, thinking of a future;

A future of a United Korea,
A future of redemption…

Copyright © 2016 Ronald J Chapman All Rights Reserved.
Ronald J Chapman Feb 2016
War ***** and fighting *****.
Why can't people party all night?

The world is a crazy place.
All I want to is dance the night away,
But my life is full of spiders and snakes.

I wonder when it will end?

You want Queen Seondeok of Silla,
You want Kim Yuna of Korea,

But all I see is the devil's rage.
Oh! The devil's rage.
Oh! War and fighting, they'll destroy this beautiful place,
Drain our lives of Love and wonder.

War ***** and fighting *****.
Why can't people party all night?
The world is a wild place.
All I want to is dance the day away,

But my life is full of spiders and snakes hiding under rocks.

I really want the world to end,
Goodbye Queen Seondeok of Silla,
Goodbye Kim Yuna of Korea,

And good riddance to the devil's rage.
Oh! The devil's rage.

Oh! War and fighting, will bury us under falling mushroom dust,
Drain our lives of Love and wonder.

War ***** and fighting *****.
The world is out of control,
All I want to do is plant new Hope in dry Souls,
But my life is full of spiders and snakes hiding under rocks.

Your life doesn't have to end.
Sing a song of hope with Queen Seondeok of Silla,
Sing the song of "Arirang."

Dance with Queen Kim Yuna of Korea on Ice,
And put a curse on devil's rage.
Oh, the devil's rage.

Your life is hard and filled with hatred,
But don't care? Get out and dance.

Follow the sunrise to your destination.
Leave the war and fighting behind,

Plant new Hope!

You want the greatest thing,
The biggest thing since becoming a poet.
You've got it all; you've got the world in your hands,

If you are confused, check with Arirang.
Carry a pen to help you along.

Get out and dance,
On the dance floors of the world.

Copyright © 2016 Ronald J Chapman All Rights Reserved.

Arirang Special M60-Sorea Band  Arirang
https://youtu.be/iS6V1M6xuXc
Yuna Kim - Arirang Alone Montage
https://youtu.be/A9Mt_IeB3Fo
across the seas a whale lets loose
his mournful song in frequencies
so low he can’t be heard by ears
of either you or I

‘neath ocean waves his love responds
sends saddened sounds to calm his fears
and make him sing his odes of joy
just like in like aeons past

they ache across the great expanse
and here I lie, sing arirang
my frequencies rebounding ‘round
my cold and distant beach





bonaventure saptel
Ronald J Chapman Dec 2014
My home in my dreams,

I am amazed every night, when I see you in my dreams.

When I look at the moon., I see the tower to the north.

I can not believe you changed,
My life forever.

I only wish I can find the courage, to hold you in my arms at last.

My home in my dreams,
I wish I had met you a lifetime ago.

I wish I could give you one thousand of
my lifetimes.

I owe you my life,
My Seoul Korea.

I love you.

I miss you.

I owe you my life,
I owe you. You are the reason I am still alive,
Arirang, I owe you more than ever!

Seoul I love you,
A place I have only been to in my dreams,

How can I ever repay you?
For sending me such beautiful dreams.

I am amazed every night, when I see you in my dreams.

I live for you every day to hold you in my arms,

I live for you!
My Seoul,

I wish I could be standing in your arms where I belong.

My love Seoul,
I can't help but smile and wonder why God sent me here far to the West.

When you tell me every day, I belong in your arms.

But I owe you so much,
Hundreds of poems,

Hundreds of dreams
from a place, I have never been.

Amazing!
How can this be?

I love you Seoul Korea
that time can never take away.

I owe you more than my life
More than anything
I know this is a dept that I will never be able to repay.
Because I owe you so much
I owe you my life now, more than ever,

Why was I born so far away?

In the wrong time and wrong place?

Seoul Korea

My home in my dreams.


(C) 2014 Ronald J Chapman All Rights Reserved.
The Most Beautiful City on Earth - Seoul
http://youtu.be/nIHnSRyQr4o
Ronald J Chapman May 2015
Standing on a hilltop,
Singing a song from my dreams,
Looking at the vast green farmland below,
I don't wish to leave my family or home,
But, I need to follow my dream,

She calls me every day,


She sends me her beauty every morning;
Cherry blossoms and roses, in the spring,
Sounds of ocean waves in the summer,
Even the cellphone sound of the cicadas,
Calling to say hello let's party while we can,


She sends me her family photos, of beautiful,

Multi-colored blankets, of Autumn leaves,
Winter pictures of snow covered mountains,

She sings beautiful old songs to me,
Relaxing and magical songs,
Played with only two strings and a bow,

Yet,
She cries in pain,
Her family separated for so very long,

Standing on a mountaintop,
Looking at the Miracle below,
Singing a song from my dreams,


“Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo...”


Copyright © 2015 Ronald J Chapman All Rights Reserved.
Animation Arirang Korean Folk Song
https://youtu.be/AQkZ_h57BaY
David Feb 2019
Oh
Don't go too far
Don't go too far, while I pray for you
Don't go too far
Stop fighting and travel with me, there's no enemy, oh stay

Oh
Don't go too far
Don't go too far, while I wait for you
Don't go too far
It's not a war field, it's just a field
With mountains and plains

Oh
Why do we keep
Fighting when there's no enemy?
Just stay with me,
Just stay with me my baby oh
ll take care of you.



Oh
I see a star
I see a star upon our blind heads
We'll never reach
But we can lay and watch it while we love
Together.

Oh
Why do we have
To move somewhere else?
Isn't it ok?
Isn't it ok to stay here baby?
Nothing over there.



Oh
I remember when
I remember when I went too far
Drowned was my heart,
I tried to reach the star but it was far
Further than far

Now
I know there's no choice but staying here
And love whole life
No past, no future, I love you so and
No,
I won't stop



Oh
I remember when
I remember when I reached the end
It was so deep,
It was so deep and I had no choice but returning to home.

Now
Now we are together
among the great river
Oh always change
Oh always change, no eternity
So now I love you



Oh
Remember you
Remember you trying to reach your dream
And then you fell
You fell down to the deepest hell
But now
We're still here.

And now
I know there's no choice but staying here
And enjoying life
Enjoying life for what it is
With you,
Oh my love.
I made this poem on the Korean traditional song "Arirang",
You can try singing this along with the song, it fits it (I think it sounds better if you search the piano version).

This writing is about knowing that if we believe life is a fight and problems are enemies, life will be full of suffering, because anytime we fail, it's a defeat and we feel useless or unworthy of living.
While if we believe life is a travel and problems are just obstacles, life is much more peaceful.
Thanks to this "trick" I overcame a very bad period near to depression, I think it can be useful for everyone.

Then it's about life having nothing at the end of it but death, it's about living in the present, solving the problems and remorses of the past calmly, trying to find a concrete solution in the present instead of dwelling about the past.
About living the present free from the anxieties of the future, accepting our limits, accepting that reality is transitory, it continuously changes: when we're in a bad period, it will pass, when we're in a happy period, we can enjoy it the most till the day we'll have to say goodbye to it. We have to accept life with its transitory nature I believe.

Also it's about believing everything is pure conscience and that this frees us from existential pain, like the fear of death and loss (from Buddhism, if I understood it well)

Then the lover here is not a specific person, it's anyone: a friend, a mum, a dad..
It's love in general, not a couple.

Sorry for the long text, just wanted to share this, I think it's useless if keep this thing in my phone only lol
Hope you enjoy it :)
Ronald J Chapman Dec 2014
Paint with skates,
Gliding fashion,
Crystalline dull mirror,

"CAUTION" The sign said, "Danger of Slipping."

Hearing the notes from a somber tune.,
Gift to the world, “Arirang."

Her spin cycle gyrating like a porcelain doll's dream.
As she drifts abroad to other shores,
They shiver oh, how they shiver.
Goosebumps she brings!

The Ice Queen!



© 2013 Ronald J Chapman All Rights Reserved.
(Yu-na Kim) montage : Arirang from "D-war" OST)
http://youtu.be/8tcFqApya38

Who is Kim Yuna?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Yuna
Ronald J Chapman Nov 2014
Where is the misty street?
Action, exhaustion, and noise.

Noisy, cold guys calmly shove an old, small car.
Faith is a grimy street.
Where is the misty car?
Where is the grimy street?
Why does the guy shrink?
Work, anger, and love.

Hoods walk!
The rain runs like a cold hood.
Ooh, hope and faith!

Rainbow buses ride the streets.

Cars talk!
Streets run like cold doors.
Hoods stop like noisy sidewalks.
Action is a black cab ride.

Why does the sidewalk shrink?

Where is the fast cigarette?

Never fight a flower.
Cherry blossoms in spring.

Splendid, bustling night market, Dongdaemun
Bright nights of food and fun.

Arirang playing out loud.


© 2014 Ronald J Chapman All Rights Reserved.
The Most Beautiful City on Earth - Seoul
http://youtu.be/nIHnSRyQr4o
Ronald J Chapman Mar 2016
Bright yellow sun, you saw me crying alone,
Without a dream in my heart,
Without a beautiful lover of my own.

I don't think I will love ever again.

Yellow sun, you knew just what I was there for,
You heard me saying a prayer for,
A beautiful lover I really could love forever.

I heard the wind whisper ''Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo."
And then suddenly appearing in front of me,
The only woman my arms could ever hold.
It's you, who I've been searching all my life.

But when I looked closer,
You turned into a Princess dressed in a white gown behind a magic mirror! No!

Oh oh oh...

Why are we half a world apart and separated by half a lifetime?

Bright sun, now I'm no longer alone,
Looking with a sad heart, without a beautiful lover of my own.

To my heart, I must be true.
A sad day will never empty my heart again,

We go together,
Like the gayageum and haegeum, playing Arirang.
Remembered forever through time,

Dreaming of us meeting on a warm April spring day half a world away,

I'm loving, loving, loving you.

Copyright © 2016 Ronald J Chapman All Rights Reserved.
The music video shows the traditional Korean musical instruments gayageum and haegeum with the artists playing the folk song Arirang.
https://youtu.be/fmQOsXI1Dlc
Ronald J Chapman Mar 2016
You! are my sunshine,
To love you is to love a place,

A thorny rose!
You smell so sweet, sweet as a cherry blooming the spring,

Your thorns hurt my heart;
Love is Sharon's rose.
A red rose that lights up my life.

You who reminds me of an impossible past

In my life, I watch red sunsets.
Waiting for! My dream to come true.

Shifting sands,
Memories never are erased,
Lonely song, Arirang, I  love you!

Copyright © 2016 Ronald J Chapman All Rights Reserved.
50 beautiful places to visit in Korea
https://youtu.be/iYIBB4OAGuw

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