I am who I am

I was randomly surfing the net and came across a poem that left a deep impression. Reading more into what inspired the writer, I was even more intrigued.

There was a winner of the Yook Woo-dang Literary Prize in April this year, that reignited the debate about accepting homosexuals in Korea. The prize was held in honor of the tenth anniversary of the suicide of nineteen-year-old Yoon Mo (pen name Yook Woo-dang) in April of 2003. Yook Woo-dang wrote this poem about his life: “Complaint”.

The world calls us monsters
So we live in hiding
But aren’t we human beings?

People gather together and form a community on their own. When you don’t agree with the community, they start calling you names and kick you away. They read behind whatever you said, and reiterate them in a way they are comfortable for sharing. It doesn’t matter if what they shared was the truth anymore. The main purpose is to find more people in joining them.

Yet I am not who they say I am. No one can define me. I may have chosen to distant myself away from these people, but it doesn’t mean I am in agreement to what they have said or have to say.

Aren’t we human beings?

They fail to see me as a person and treat me with respect. It doesn’t matter. Continue smearing my name for all I care. I believe in retribution and you’ll get yours one day.

At the end of the day, I am who I am.

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