Chance Encounter: A Jeju Romance 

By Stephen Kagarise 

To think what might have been 

is the bitterest regret. Yesterday 

I walked past this island at low tide. 

A rocky path extended out through 

waters parted, smooth like cobble, 

as inviting as a smile. If only 

I had walked that hip’s graceful curve 

and climbed that peak of lush green 

paisley, with blonde tints from the sun. 

What a life I would have made there, 

an eternal yoga pose in that land 

of rugged affection. Today is high tide. 

The path has sunk. Waves of longing 

crash where my feet should have trod. 

The Author 

Stephen Kagarise is from North Carolina and has been living in Gwangju since 2012. He is the author of a short book of surrealist poetry called Hysterion.