I need to head South.
sunlight strips me naked for all to see,
so I hide beneath the cover of trees,
blending with nature
disappearing into the thicket 5
ignoring the whispering Death of my comrades
who looms over me, promising to catch me as well
to spill my blood on the path where the enemy patrols
there is no mercy for southerners in the north
I will be killed on sight 10
a single thought echoes in my head
beating like a war drum
I need to head South.
following the paths traveled only by critters and predators
hiking the mountain as if I’m wild as well 15
under the blanket of a pitch-black sky
I follow the stars that guide my path to the Southern land
the constellations, ancient and old, quietly observe
as I creep through the jagged slopes
the blood of generations of warriors and queens 20
flows through me, now reduced
to this worn, tattered shell of mine,
filled with nothing but sheer will and determination
inch by inch
I head South. 25
softly crunching the leaves beneath my feet
I count each step towards my homeland
where freedom and love calls
the light on the rolling hills
the vast fields of wheat and rice 30
and the endless flow of the han river
a soft whispering voice in My Soul
Go South
