What is Darkening

Description

“What Is Darkening,” the fourth collection of poems by poet Ra Hee-duk (b.1966), has now been translated and published in English. The book talks about her concept of life and her faith. The book includes the poems “What Is Darkening,” “Near the Peach Tree,” “A Month for an Ax,” “Raindrop,” and “Obsessed with a Spider.” The poem “What is Darkening,” lending its title to the book, starts with “When 5:44 becomes 5:45/ as I lie in the room,” explaining what it means to be “darkening.” For the poet, the passage of time means “darkening.” As time takes warmth away from the world, a poplar falls in the distance and its bark begins to dry. It is the moment of death. Then, all memory stops at 5:45. In the end, the poet rubs her broken ribs alone and recalls her own past.