Mother's Dawn

About the Book

Every morning that escapes The net cast by life that wrangles each day Mother’s footsteps are livelier than fish fins Suffocating bundles of worries run away Deep waves inside mother push away the salty, fishy smells”

- Mother’s Dawn

Love is universal and as the book’s overall poetic theme, Korean poet Kwon weaves what used to be meaningless words into finespun rhymes and verses that shall tug at each reader’s heartstrings with Mother’s Dawn: Black Swamp.

As her third book of poetry, Kwon weaves words of love and compassion for her uhm-ma (mother) and ap-ba (father) without exaggerating or mystifying. Written in subtle verses, she reveals the struggle to find traces of love that are gradually fading away and attempts to make an imprint out of the tactile memories. Deeply moving, the rhymes and verses of Mother’s Dawn: Black Swamp are tattoos of love for her parents that Kwon wants to immortalize.

About the Author

The poet, Soonja Kwon, was born in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province in 1958. She graduated from Kyungpook National University and Kookmin University Graduate School of Education with a major in English. She began her literary career in 2003, when she received the Imagery Award for new and emerging poets. She has published a collection of poetry, titled Umok Hoetjip (Umok Raw Fish Restaurant).