Hello Spring, Sweet Spring

Visited Unju Temple’s Reclining Buddha
On the way back
I hung a wind chime
At the end of your heart’s eaves

When the wind blows from afar
And you hear the chime
Know that my longing
Is reaching out to you… 🌬️

Poet Jeong Ho-seung once said he hung a wind chime at the eaves of his beloved’s heart after a temple visit. And if you hear the chime, know that it’s his heart reaching out. Even if the wind just makes it jingle, one might wonder, ‘Are they missing me?’ It’s an expression that perfectly captures elegance and efficiency in one breath. IU’s ‘Hello Spring, Sweet Spring’ feels like a reply to that poem.

Love bursts into the routine of life like a whirlwind. It’s a season of emotional chaos, incomparable to anything experienced before, where people truly feel alive.

They discover the essence of happiness,
Endure pain akin to death,
And face new despair.

Riding the emotional rollercoaster by the second, they lie, get jealous, profess love while stabbing the heart. It’s a beautiful mess. This is why most art revolves around love. Without it, conversations would only be about weather or age.

In her music, she seems to have moved past the storm and returned to a life as calm as a lake. As spring arrives, memories become hazy. The gentle breeze, like a warm greeting from the past, feels like that person’s hello. Or perhaps spring itself stands before her, like him. Yet, knowing the chime will fade, she accepts it as a ‘warm goodbye.’ She believes that just standing with those warm memories is enough.

Personally, I think such picturesque moments only come with spring. Summer and winter are too chaotic, and autumn, though similar, lacks warmth. Thus, what seems like a greeting might feel like a summons back to battle. You might rush back to them or run away without looking back… anything but stand warmly because it’s not warm.

Spring, however, brings warmth even in the dullest moments just by sitting by the roadside. It’s a season ready to embrace. When the chime rings or the breeze blows, rather than being loud or annoying, you might think it’s his heart visiting or a simple hello.

On this first perfect spring day of the year, I was walking when the wind ruffled my hair. I thought it was annoying. Maybe I’m just a hopeless human in spring too? Nevertheless, spring has arrived.