Ju Eun-kyung, communications officer at Geumcheon-gu Office, shares handwritten verses — including poet Na Tae-ju's 'Praying From Afar' — bringing warmth and reflection to colleagues and residents alike
Autumn deepens as crimson leaves drift to the ground, and there are days when a hollow feeling settles in the chest — perhaps the quiet melancholy that comes with the turning of seasons. On days like these, a single poem can be just the thing to soften a parched heart.
Not long ago, one such poem arrived as an unexpected gift: "Praying From Afar," by poet Na Tae-ju.
The poem sings of "you," smiling somewhere out of sight like a flower, whose presence alone turns the world into a dazzling morning, and of "me," breathing quietly like a blade of grass, whose existence ushers in a still evening. It closes with a gentle greeting:
"It is autumn. Please, do not fall ill."
It is remarkable how deeply a short poem can resonate. The warmth it carries — a tenderness toward someone, a quiet cherishing of each other's existence even from a distance — comes through whole. That is why a poem received on an autumn day can feel like an unusually precious gift.
The person who offered that poem is Ju Eun-kyung, communications officer at Geumcheon-gu Office. Now in her 33rd year as a civil servant, Ju holds dear the comfort and emotion that a single poem can convey, even amid the bustle of public administration.
Ju entered public service in 1993 as a Grade 9 civil servant at Guro-gu Office. About a decade ago, she came across a "poetry jar" by chance at Seoul's City Hall subway station — a jar filled with slips of paper, each bearing a poem for passersby to take. Reading those poems one by one, she said she felt firsthand how powerfully a few short lines could move a person.
That experience found its way into her own workplace. While serving as head of Doksan 4-dong, she set up a poetry jar at the neighborhood community center so residents could take a poem home. The response exceeded her expectations. She also shared poems with visitors who came to learn about community projects, passing along the same sense of warmth.
The power of a single poem proved greater than she had imagined. One resident who received a poem from Ju posted it on her apartment's bulletin board and came back asking for more. A short verse had become, for some, a source of comfort to get through the day — and a bridge for sharing something genuine with a neighbor.
"Seeing how happy people were to receive even a small poem made me feel wonderful too," Ju said. "Reading a poem is like having a cup of tea."
To this day, she keeps a basket of carefully handwritten poems at her desk, ready to offer to colleagues going through a difficult time. Her belief is simple: when people are worn down by work or by the friction of human relationships, a short poem can give the mind a moment's rest.
A civil servant's work does not end with drafting policy or delivering administrative services. Sometimes a warm word — or a poem handed over without fanfare — is what moves people. No grand project or special budget is required.
As autumn winds down and the air turns cold, one civil servant's small gesture of sharing a poem makes the world a little warmer.
Perhaps today is a good day to pass a poem along to someone close to you.
"It is autumn. Please, do not fall ill."
May those few words linger in someone's heart for a long time.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
