Author’s Note: Heyo! I wanted to share the results of my submission for the 2025 Love & Eros Prize! Unfortunately, my poem was not chosen for the final selection. However, I am still incredibly proud of the message and feedback I have received with this piece. I had initially written this back in the summer of 2025, but I took it down during the Fall in preparation for making revisions and submitting it to the contest. This is my third time submitting my work in a contest. Nerve-wracking and still incredibly fun!
Highlighting key points:
– The Ghost of Unrequited Love, as a speaking character, makes that abstract emotion tangible
– Agency and philosophical maturity aspects within the poem. It does not view unrequited love as a form of victimhood. Instead, it emphasizes conscious choice and grace
– Usage of Korean (Hangul) in the poem functions as structure and depth
Even though this was written last year, the emotions and feelings associated with it are still relevant to me. I feel like poets by nature are a little sad. But that’s not inherently bad; it is something I accept. It lends itself well to poetry and writing. I remember that from a Korean movie called “The Poet and the Boy.” Also, this is a way for me to express the feelings I had inside myself. Whether it ever reached them was not the intent. It was for me to say my peace and move forward.
3 Minutes Read
The Ghost of Unrequited Love
whispers from behind,
“이번에는 누구야?”
Its voice, a familiar balm on ancient scars.
I gaze fixated on her back in front of me.
Without hesitation, I whispered back:
“그 사람”
She turned back as if she heard me.
I recognized this familiar
soft ache reawakening.
Every moment our eyes met,
my bandages began loosening.
Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence,
but 인연,
the soft thread I could never find the end of,
pulling me into golden moments,
like sunlight through the purple hyacinth fields.
“She’d never choose-.”
I raise my hand to silence the Ghost.
Because the yearner in me still believes
in the beauty of dreaming with her.
It’s cowardly to admit this…
when she smiles at me,
I wish I could love
without offering my whole soul,
trembling and bare.
So when I end up alone again,
when the sweetness of her light
fades from memory,
I’ll feel no ache, no fear,
just quiet, dull tears.
“And yet, those tears
are still worthy… are they not?
Are we crazier for wanting to feel more?
Without them, what would we be?”
When she’s near like this,
I become everything:
a foolish dreamer,
a loner standing too close to hope,
knowing the only one hurt in the end,
will be me.
She never has to like me back.
I never earned that grace.
I choose to treasure the good times,
not for what I gained,
but for who she was.
She was captivating,
a tidal wave mending love
into fractured islands,
with the subtle sway of blue hyacinth fields.
I knew it because I witnessed
the twinkle dancing in her hands,
the melody braided
through every word she spoke.
Yes, in those fleeting moments,
I felt like she would’ve been
perfect in my life.
Dreaming too big, that’s my problem.
I hoped she’d be the dream
that finally ended
all my restless dreams.
The Ghost replied,
“나도 그랬어.”
I put my hand down
and turn to the Ghost.
“I think it is time…
to wake up from this dream.”
“I do wish you would say that
without the tears flowing.”
I give him a smile
and I turn back to face her.
Hello, I would appreciate it if you would give me feedback on what you enjoyed and what you didn’t. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to comment or email me too! Thank you.
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