Poems: Story from My Heart

Peace, peace, peace Where are you? I have been looking all over for you Wherever you are Please come on out Please dwell in us As our family From my childhood, yearning for peace and the brotherhood of mankind has been in my heart. Korea was ruled by Japan from 1910 to 1945. During WWII, my father, a Korean Christian minister, was taken to prison because he refused to walk up to the Shinto temple and bow down to the picture of their emperor. My brother, my best friend, volunteered to join the Japanese army in the hope of having his father released from prison. He left home as a vibrant 15-year-old boy and returned home as a worn-out, injured 18 old man. He died a year later. Then during the Korean War, my father was taken away by the North Korean communists. He never returned. Also during the Korean War, I let my dog, my best friend, go because Mother said we did not even have enough food left for people. Through her travails, my mother led us onward with love and grace. Now in my twilight years, I, a professor emeritus of electrical engineering, who once was an authority in his field, have decided to share what is in my heart. Not only on topics related to war and peace but also other life experiences through the medium of poetry.