Review of Choi Seungja’s poem ‘Already I’

 Choi Seungja’s poem ‘Already I’

I request to read the poem first from the above link and then only my review. Thanks.

The poet has an inner conflict. On one hand she is certainly aware of the fiber of herself and a close circle, about which she is ashamed. On the other hand, she is not able to get along with them as they move about disowning their real fiber or nature. The conflict between the conscience and the materialistic mind which is comfortable in the recognition from and company of same class is the theme of the poem. The poet is unable to be oblivious of the fact that the people of her class carry no dreams of an inclusive society. The following lines clearly express that:

So don’t say you know me

when we cross paths

like falling stars.

Idon’t knowyou, Idon’t know you,

You, thou, there, Happiness

You, thou, there, Love.

Here the feelings happiness and love are metaphors. I am complacently happy and I conveniently love people of my class who are useful to me. So happiness and love symbolize complacence and opportunism. Lack of values (even if there are any values) and lack of commitment is pricking the conscience of the poet. The collective failure of the knowledgeable, educated and capable middle class makes her feel guilty. She is very ashamed to find there has not been any move towards inclusiveness over centuries in humanity as the following lines highlight:

Already I was nothing:

mold formed on stale bread,

trail of piss stains on the wall,

a maggot-covered corpse

a thousand years old.

She finds nothing concrete to believe there will be a real transformation or change in the mindset of the haves and educated. Their conscience is dead for centuries. The poem openly finds them rotten and condemns them without mincing words. The jolt makes the wakeup call reach the reader.