The Masters, and: Through The DMZ
Abstract
Abstract: A brother reflects on his sister's death through a late-night encounter with grief, shame, and the undertakers' impersonal efficiency. As images of televised intimacy contrast with the cold handling of the body, the speaker confronts guilt, propriety, and the uneasy boundary between life and death. From postwar Korea to immigrant life in America, the poem traces a journey from hunger to hope. Through memories of "pig-bowl soup" and powdered milk, the speaker reflects on survival, longing, and the enduring belief that work, family, or even movies might offer renewal amid uncertainty.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Poetry Analysis and Criticism
Death
Funerary Practices
and Mourning
Memory
History
Trauma
Identity
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Colorado review
- Volume
- 53
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 101–104
- Publication date
- 24 February 2026
- Language
- EN