The document contains a collection of poems and reflections on various topics submitted by different authors. Three of the pieces are summarized below: 1. A poem by Al Grindon expresses taking a long commute by car to Koreatown in Los Angeles for cheap food and potential enlightenment. 2. A poem by Emmanujel Galang reflects on driving home alone from the vet after having to put down an aging dog. 3. A reflection by James Wong describes feeling like a stranger while looking in the mirror recently and wanting to know who the unfamiliar reflection belongs to.

1. Alma Moran
Learn
Relish the wisdom
provide the platform to acquire it
Do not obstruct or reject knowledge
nurture the minds instead
Do not retreat from the unknown
weave your way into the light

2. Rananah Lubovitch
The Lyric
The magic’s deep, cavernously housed; Beneath the soul it lies
A jigsaw puzzle jeweled with tones; Expression from the heart
But Lo! Cemented shut the door; So cancel please, spirit’s dead

3. Kelly Martinez
A wagging tail to greet me
as I creep in early morn.
Let’s walk along the shoreline
chasing birds up hill and down
Stay closer still, I need your warmth
beside me. Are you still here?

4. Sabrina Moné Gustin
Modern Korean
How do I decide Shaman, Buddhist, Confucianist, Christian?
Can I be uniquely all of these, yet none of these combined?
My soul strains against, but remains enveloped in legacy

5. Yunme Hanks
Home
Where is your home, Los Angeles, I reply
Is that where you are born, Nay I say,
Once settled, I call it home forever where I stay
고향이 어디오하면 엘에이라 대답하네
거기서 태어났냐하면 그렇지 않다 말하지
정착한 날부터 평생 살 고항이라 부르오

6. Yunme Hanks
Lovely faces singing and dancing
Making them cry and laugh awe and woo
Korea, you are heroine of today
꽃같은 얼굴들이 노래하고 춤을추네
인생을 연기하면 전세계가 박수치며 환호하네
코리아, 드디어 주인공이 되었구나

7. Al Grindon
Sijo Thoughts on a Long Commute
L.A. traffic crawls and lurches toward far Koreatown.
I might have slept in, read the Times, and tended my cucumbers.
For cheap enlightenment, and maybe bulgogi? I press on.

8. Emmanujel Galang
He’s My Best Friend
I drive home from the pound,
Adopt a companion; a hound
He looks so peaceful laying down
His fur coat thin and light brown
10 years later and so it goes
I drive home from the vet. Alone

9. Susan Goldman
Old Mother
Stay, wait, sit, please, I Love You, Time has stolen you from me
Once my lap, hand was fought over, now empty, desperate for your warmth
I know you must grow, leave in order to thrive and be free

10. Susan Glodman
New Mother
Baby crying, wailing from sleep, fear, hunger; Mother bereft
Laugh, smile, giggle so sweet hits my heart, spreads to fill my soul
Please baby your sadness will flee, rest in my arms, find your peace

11. Liz Bowen
Lying on the couch, watching television- the earth shook.
Quickly jumped up and exclaimed, “Oh my!” Looked the cat in the eye.
Nothing on the internet, it was just an Earth hiccup at 2.

12. Jesenia Chavez
Untitled
Beginning to know you more, your story, your food, and dress
I didn’t know much except K-pop, kimchi, Psy, but I’m now blessed
To know there’s more to Koreans; Resilience, Empowered, Complex

13. Sarah Kim
The Bird & Flower
His voice was soft and beckoning,
trickling with nectar
“Just a sip”, I said as I drew from him,
the sweetness and the tender
Little did I know, I mistook his sweetness for love,
while he saw me as a mere bird

14. Sarah Kim
The Small Peach
The other fruits were glorious and ripe,
Glistening and recognizing its gleam as its pride
But they’d tease and batter the peach runt-
Tittering that the small peach would be liked by none.
“You’ll see, You’ll see!”, the poor thing cried.
Soon the fruits were taken and shipped.
All but the small peach who slipped through the net?

15. Sarah Kim
Who I am
When I was younger, my mother would pack me “gimbop”
Wrapped neatly and tucked in a box
And around me, my friends would ask for one
Eager to meet new people, I gave them some
To think that the food brought me closer to my roots.
Would bond me with people and embrace diversity

16. Greg Hill
City of Angels
City in the distance, blocked by haze, she still breathes lite
Traffic stalls, the driver at ease;
Midful destination; all is well

17. Malinda Troy
The Seminar
Starting with mothing, it took a full day to get my bearings
Lectures with new data and graphics flooded my synapses
Creative activities slowed the flow; I can think again.

18. Julie Romero
Summer Day
Enjoying the summer sun with the growth of heat
Sun bathing, barbequing, swimming, and children playing
Be welcoming to the heat as it warms all hearts

19. Rosita Pascual
The Old Maid
Under the stars and moon, A lady sadly sighs, cries and prays…
Empty arms, long-gone smiles, silver hair lonely heart wastes away…
For she has never known the love of her dreams nor what it means

20. Brian Lee
Beautiful Sky
The sky is colored like beautiful flowers
Red yellow and orange, the beautiful sky is dyes, Like pretty flowers
Who painted the sky do you know I know I know who painted it
It is my dear sun who is hiding

21. Jaime Luna
Soft wind playing with her long hair
Her smile fills the void of space
The pounding of my heart
breaking the symphony of silence
Do I dare? A simple stare takes my breath away

22. Laurence Tynan
Dichotomy
I have learned so much about Korea, More than I knew before;
From the three kingdoms, through invasions and wars, Korea persists;
Now she is a leader in the world, but why two kingdoms

23. Myra Oliva
Carter
His eyes sparkle like the sun’s reflection on the laughing sea.
He has an infectious smile that warms my weary soul like a healing balm
Carter come and stay; but he turns and runs away

24. Aaron Rodriguez
Sijo
As the wind blows my kite takes flight
high in the sky it escapes my eye,
Harder and harder the wind blows
higher and higher my kite goes;
Then it gets bored and drops it like a hot stone,
CRASH!

25. Rosalia Soria
Do you remember me? I recall you! It stole you from me!
Dark far away moments, I am of you
Do you remember? It’s okay! I love you forever, mom!

26. 최희성
뭐든지 매우려는 학구열이 영원하길
언제나 이런마음 애곁에만 있어다오
새학기 시작되아도 학생들도 이러하길

27. Soelia Mier
Immigrant child frustrated with academics
Now, as a teacher it is my pleasure to engage my students in learning
My goal is to ensure students and parents feel part of the school culture

28. James Wong
Stranger in the Mirror
These days, I don't recognize the person in the mirror.
I look and keep looking, and yet I can't seem to recognize the reflection.
I just want to know, who exactly is that stranger?
요새 거울에 보이는 사람을 못 알아 봅니다. (17)
보고 또 봐도 그래도 못 알아보겠습니다. (16)
전, 그저가 누군지 알고싶습니다. (13)

29. James Wong
On a bus full of familiar faces, we head to L.A. (16)
We flew, we soared, and we conquered a week of culture. (16)
But tomorrow, will we remember our yesterday? (13)