thank you T. S. for starting this conversation and J. C. for continuing it
I miss being the majority
Koreans asking me for directions
hoping I never got anyone lost
I miss five dollar bibimbap
gathering at bars with silly names
like Hippo Hof
bad, cheap food
miles of tables
I miss mega city convenience
public transportation
gifted tailors on my block
Asian film fests
hiking with strangers
mountaintop soju toasts
Sunday soccer in four languages
coffee shops that star in Korean dramas
my stylist, VIP head spa treatments
twenty-four-hour beauty shops & restaurants
shooting ranges with coffee shops
I miss doorbells on tables
with options: water, bill, help
I miss dinner tables with toilet paper
all-purpose paper product.
I miss Korean guys
who want to go out with me just because
I miss making fifty dollar/hour
as an English prostitute
tax free!
I miss buying earflap hats I don’t need
keep me warm on cold January nights
I miss relaxing by the Han Gang
like I’m in the movie Gwaemul, The River Monster
I miss meeting my brothers, sisters from Europe, Australia, Canada
I miss crowded Korean streets
rush hour subway football
I watch Korean movies
to glimpse street scenery
so I miss this friend less.