On a dark silent Korean city street
empty of people, cars, and buses
an old woman slowly drags her sack.
Her almond eyes are dark as stones
sitting deep in her papery face
above high cheekbones.
She dare not broadcast her age
so dyes her hair black.
She spikes empty wrappers, drink cans,
hamburger boxes with her stick
emptying it into her sack.
National law retired her at sixty
from the department store.
Her children work in department stores
to raise their own children.
city footpaths are daily crowded
with the stalls of the elderly
hawking fish, fruit vegetables,
t-shirts, bags and shorts.
This old woman
earns her living
spiking rubbish
on silent streets
at 3 am.
Originally posted 13 December 2015.
Nice imagery and feelings captured.
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Thank you.
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A sad life…
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And unfortunately a common one as well. There is no government pension scheme there – the usual tax rate is 2% to 3%. Some can save for old age. Many can’t.
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That is terrible. Sometimes, I guess we think we’re taxed to death, but there can be worse things to deal with than high taxes.
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There are indeed.
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