Silkworm’s Pansori

Inspired by the traditional Korean sijo, David Seung's first poetry collection reflects on the country's struggle for independence and his own family's sacrifices in achieving it

The debut book of poems by David Seung, Silkworm's Pansori is a collection of English-language sijo poems: a traditional Korean poetic form that is straightforward in its syntax but emotionally nuanced. Following this historical form closely, these are poems of elegance and subtlety, like painted still lifes imbued with heartbreaking subtlety and metaphor. Yet the poet can only get so far with this exercise before his own personal Korean history, a family legacy of war and torture, starts creeping in to shatter the otherwise poetic calm. Inserted toward the end of the book is the Korean Declaration of Independence; among the signers is the poet's great-great-grandfather. Asking the reader to contextualize this document with the history of sijo and his own family saga, Seung gracefully addresses generations of anger and pain, and reflects on the intricacies of human existence. David Seung is a Korean American stand-up comedian and writer. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Portland State University, where he now teaches.