Love for the kingdom of Joseon,
Listening to the silent sounds from the past,
Heartfelt love for Korea,
Watching the melting snow,
Dreams of love in a Korean spring,
Ahh, my dreams of youth are gone,

Love for pink cherry blossoms,
Love for festivals,
Love for hope,
I keep asking myself, "Why? Oh, why did I wait so long?"

Hope that the Korean people never lose hope
Hope for the future of Joseon,
Hope for the cherry blossoms,
Hope for a clear spring,
Hope for a united Korea,
Hope for sunny festivals,

Now, if I only knew how to open my eyes,

To see;
Beautiful spring festivals,
Beautiful new hope,
Beautiful memories of Joseon,
Beautiful cherry blossoms,
Beautiful happy spring,
Beautiful Korea,

Reality is a road leading nowhere,
Dreams are a million guideposts that lead us on the path to our future,

Bright shiny Korea,
Colorful Festivals,
Bright children are given the gift of hope,

Seeing beautiful memories of Joseon,
Bedazzled as if looking at a bright neon sign,

Bright cherry blossoms,
Bright and warm spring,
Birds singing,
I must be dreaming,

New Korean spring,
New path for Korea,
New history for Joseon,

Feeling the winds of change,

New hope,
New spring festivals,
Newly planted cherry blossoms,

Sunny cherry blossoms,
Sunny spring,
Sunny Korea,
Sunny Festivals,
Sunny hope,
Sunny Joseon,

Beautiful Joseon lovely Cherry Blossoms floating above us,
Loving a bright Korean warm spring,
Bright, colorful spring festivals holding hands falling in love,

Now, if I only knew how to open my eyes...

Copyright © 2016 Ronald J Chapman All Rights Reserved.

I lived in Pyongyang,
Breathing to be wired to follow my father’s footsteps.
Taught all day the greatness of our homeland.
As a kid, I sunk into their teaching,
But now seen as propaganda through my grown eyes.
I dreamed of leading my own troupe
Into battle, for my great country, to stand with pride
As I was destined to protect it.


Out of grief and sadness
A cry stretched its ways to my ears.
The great leader fell
From swell to nothing well.
I was told we were to go on holiday
In Gyeong-Seong forced to stay.
Moving in and out of it to see the light of day.
No longer blinded from my homeland’s falsehood
Tricks and tactics meant for military
Used against it for my own tranquility.
Oh! The irony.


Now grown up, with a new dream.
I no longer see Joseon the way it used to seem,
I say my story as a North Korean defector in hope,
hope to see better lives for those who reside there.
In my oh so forsaken great homeland Joseon.

Ruby!

Your love for a place and people,
Is like the never ending stars in Heaven, remarkable!
Your face reminds me of a bright yellow Texas sun rising in the east,

Sailing to an impossible place,
To the time of Joseon,
An Angel teaching a good people,

The place Sharon's rose grows,
A beautiful Seoul,
A place of impossible dreams to come,

Blue Skies,
Rice cake soup,
Magpies flying high,

Oh beautiful shining Texas Angel,
Your Spirit lives in Seoul today.
Your Spirit sleeps under the blankets of Seoul,

The perfect friend to the Korean people,
They will never forget that summer day,
That day, you offered your "thousand lives." to a beautiful people.

A blessed Texas Angel, who gave her heart and Spirit to Korea,

A Ruby shining with love.

Copyright © 2016 Ronald J Chapman All Rights Reserved.