i know, i’m sorry, i love you, thank you
i know, i’m sorry, i love you, thank you
English ⇆ Korean
알아요 미안 해요 사랑 해요 고마워요
i often cut my conversations short with my parents.
i only have so much time
to keep listening to the effort fall so short.
i hate to hear the
sighs that mean forget it and uhhs of never. quite. understanding.
never quite being able to say
what’s in our hearts
or on our minds.
hello?
no, i can talk now, it’s fine.
yes, i ate today.
huh?
yes, i know.
yes, i know.
yes, i know.
what?
okay. have a good day.
i love you, too.
yes. okay. Bye.
i often cut my conversations short with my parents.
i can hardly bear to participate
in such small talk with people who mean
the most to me.
they used to loom so large, so tall over me
and taught me once, how to tie my shoes.
but those are just laces,
and there’s no way to trip over your words
with stupid fucking shoelaces.
hello?
no, don’t worry. i can talk now.
what? oh.
uhh. sure. yeah, i don’t know. i guess.
yes, i ate already.
okay.
yes, okay.
i love you, too.
bye.
how can my tongue be made of the
same DNA as theirs?
when—why—did my mouth, lips, teeth
turn to this thing
made not from their DNA anymore,
but dark roast coffee, inside jokes with people that aren’t them,
cigarette smoke, and a lover who doesn’t
understand them either.
hello?
no, don’t worry. we can talk.
you can always call me.
what?
ugh.
ugh.
i don’t know.
huh?
for what?
you don't need to be sorry.
no. don’t.
please.
you did plenty.
thank you.
okay. i know.
yes, i know.
i love you, too.
i’m sorry for yelling.
okay.
bye.
i often cut my conversations short with my parents.
i fucking hate hearing how sorry they are
for not being able to say anything
besides that.
it’s always that.
i cut the conversation short so i can think of
all the times they’ve called a doctor for me,
enrolled me in school with a blue-eyed principal,
watched a series of images on a large screen next to me
and lied and said they enjoyed the film anyway,
got lost and couldn’t ask for directions but still made their way home,
cooked a meal that i couldn’t get
at my friend’s house,
got scammed by some salesman,
probably named Rick.
i like to think
that does all the talking for them.
i know. i’m sorry. i love you. thank you.
