‘저 난감한 지옥의 불길은
결국 가상현실의 불길이군요?’
키보드를 두드리다 몸을 돌이키며 원효가 묻자
불타는 답했다.
‘불길이 대체 어디 있지?’
원효가 이번엔 예수에게로 몸을 돌리자
예수가 속삭였다.
‘지옥이란 이 세상 관계들이 죄 끊겨지는 삶일세,
생각마저 하나하나 끊겨지는.’
‘그 다음은 어떻게 됩니까?’
‘이어지길 기다리겠지!’
‘그러면 내세도 시간 속에 있군요.’
‘그렇다. 시간도 시간 속에 있다.’
HWANG Tong gyu (b. 1938) was born in Seoul, studied and taught English Literature at Seoul National University. His poetry collections include A Clear Day (1961), Snow Falling in Samnam (1975), When I See a Wheel, I Want to Make It Roll (1978), A Journey to Morundae (1991), Wind Burial (1995), A Love Song, Berkeley Style (2000), There Was the Moments When I Depended on Coincidence (2003), Silence of Flowers (2006) and 00:05, Winter Night (2009). He is the recipient of numerous honors, including Korean Literature Award (1980), Isan Literature Prize (1991), and Midang Literature Prize (2002), etc. His poetry, describing new awareness attained in the process of continual opening to the outer world and sincere conversation with the self, has always invited readers to participate in the process of awakening.
