“Asian Woman” by Tanya Ko Hong
“Isn’t it about time Chosǒn (Korean) women lived like humans?” – Na Hye-sok
This is what you do with your life:
Take what your father gives you
food, care, shelter
Learn to be a wife
cook, sew, maintain your household
Obey orders, serve your family, command
servants
This is what you do with your life:
Take what your husband gives you
food, care, shelter
Bury the jealousy of his concubines
be their big sister
Bear sons or you are useless
raise them to be fine young men
never take your eyes off them
Never tempt a lover
This is what you do with your life:
Take what your sons give you
food, care, shelter
make your son’s wives obey
Demand your son’s wives bear sons
This is what you do with your life:
Teach your daughters:
to be like a song
three years deaf
three years blind
three years mute
teach
them to be
like you
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Tanya Ko Hong’s artist statement: My art is a border, a threshold between English and Korean, voice and voiceless, secrets and truth, dark and light. I came from South Korea, where as a woman I was taught to be submissive, silent. Poetry was forbidden, but absolutely essential. Living in Los Angeles, I’ve learned what it means to use my voice. My work engages creatively and critically with the role of women and diaspora. My works says, I am here and won’t be silent. My warm hands melt the walls of marginalization. I stand at the shoreline, collect the shells of our untold stories. I am here to bring our sisters to the lighthouse. We will support and create our art in freedom.–Tanya Ko Hong (고현혜)
