Poems

“Common themes of my poetry are home, or longing for home, and belonging, or in most cases not belonging.” — e  

Esther was a prolific writer. She majored in English and minored in rhetoric at the University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana. She chronicled her thoughts, adventures, and Able Community updates in a blog she humorously called Gimpy Law. In 2021, she won the Korean American Story Virtual ROAR Story Slam. She started the Poet e Facebook page, which includes some of her poems, accomplishments, and publications. She actively participated in Writer’s Ink, Arlington Heights Memorial Library’s monthly writing group. She was accepted into a MFA program at San Jose State before she passed.

Below are two of Esther’s poems that are particularly meaningful to the foundation.

Perfect

God made everybody perfect.  Some people have brown eyes, others have blue, green, or even purple eyes; all are perfect in God’s eyes.  Some people can use sign language to talk and hearing aids hear, others use their mouths to talk and ears to hear.  Some people use canes and guide dogs to see, others use their eyes.  Some people use computers and other people to talk, others use their mouths.  Some people use replacement limbs, wheelchairs, walkers, or braces to move and run; others use their legs.  God made everybody perfect.  Yes, even you! 

Peace

Something suddenly came over me last night,
something that I’ve never experienced before.
It was after a dream.
A dream where a man
in white came and picked
me off the ground.
After that, I slept
like I’ve never slept before.
It calmed the raging waves within me.
For the first time, I had
still waters.