Tree frog

One person can have many names. The poet of this poem has many names, too: His Buddhist name is Musan, his nickname is Manack, and people called him Buddhist monk Ohyeon. During his lifetime, the poet led a free life, appearing one moment and disappearing the next like the wind. He was far from being stubborn, egoistic, or possessive. He was a person, who would remain calm in front of all the precious or beautiful things in the world.

However, there is one thing that even a Buddhist monk with a philosophical view of life admired: Life. The poet complained that it was difficult to write a poem with the theme tree frog, and rightly so. A tree frog is a life itself and life is a very difficult subject to deal with. Life is magnificent because it is so precious. It is so magnificent that the poet failed to put it into words. The fact that words failed and life triumphed is a cause for joy.

When discussing the poet’s works, I would look towards the direction of Baekdamsa Temple until a few years ago, but I cannot anymore. The poet is not there anymore. It has already been four years since his death. Instead, the poet is here, inside a tree frog, somewhere in the grass, and above all, in poems.