WINTERWALK #2

i really should have guessed...
ascending through the concrete megaliths of hongik university campus
glimpsed from atop seongmisan the previous day
i eventually find a steep flight of stone steps
which transport my panting carcass up the flank of the mountain
the slope flattens out to an octagonal pavilion
where i pause to survey the chaotic architecture of the city
spread out towards the river like a child's lego experiments
i suddenly arrive at a metal gate in a high barbed wire fence
which intersects with the path
then spot a military bunker high up above
the head and rifle butt of a patrolling soldier
silhouetted against the skyline
of course!
the summit of this city lung,
this optic nerve,
this superb vantage point
has been claimed by the ROK army
after five years
this still comes as a surprise
as an outsider from western europe
with its invisible fortress walls
its illusions of peace and tranquility
i am still blissfully oblivious
to the realities of living
in a militarised country
in a constant state of readiness
i think of the people living in the apartment blocks
on the crest of the hill
whose front doors and windows
look out on drafted youths with fingers on triggers
who all live under the shadow of an undeclared truce
between north and south
while i come to admire the scenery
it's not the first time i have discovered
that the best scenic viewpoints in SK
are usually reserved for the military
i really should have guessed...