Tell Me 사랑해
by Melanie Hyo-In Han
Have you eaten? I’ll make you 순두부 next time you come home.
Make sure you pay your 집세 on time.
You should read this article about happiness. You’ve been looking 우울해 lately.
Do you have enough warm clothes? Why do you never wear enough layers?
Don’t forget to eat 엿 before your exam.
Sleep more. Your face looks 쳐젔어 and you have bags under your eyes.
Don’t go outside with wet hair - you’ll catch 감기.
Make sure to turn your fan off at night.
Stop shaking your leg - you’ll shake your 복 away.
Remove that mirror from your door.
Did you really write her name in red ink? Are you hoping to kill her? Burn that letter right now!
Why do you sit on the cold ground? Don’t you know that it’ll make you infertile?
If you keep eating food that’s 탔어, you’re going to get cancer.
I had a dream last night about a pig. Go buy a lottery ticket, I
have a good feeling about this one.
Is anyone making you 미역국 on your birthday?
잔소리.
It was her way of letting me know that she cared, but all I ever wanted was to hear “사랑해”
(I love you).
Born in Korea and raised in East Africa, Melanie Hyo-In Han currently lives in Boston where she’s a poet and a teacher. She has received awards from “Boston in 100 Words” and The Lyric Magazine, and is finishing up her M.F.A. in Poetry and Translation from Emerson College. Learn more about her at melaniehan.com.
