“Have a small dream
“Have a small dream and make it come true.”

With a heart of 'love' that can grow bigger than the body
A poem I would like to give as a gift to my children, parents, and friends

Poet Na Tae-ju, who has been incorporating deep reflection, innocent and novel ideas, and traditional lyricism into his poetry since he began his literary career in 1971, has published a poetry collection for youth titled “I Just Want to Be Me.”
This is the first work published by the publishing company Rest Time, and this poetry collection contains 79 poems selected by poet Ha Sang-man, a current Korean language teacher, on the themes of 'love', 'hope', 'family', 'dream', and 'Earth (environment)'.

Part 1 is filled with exciting moments that make you feel the sweet feelings of love.
He confesses that the being called 'you' who "accidentally entered me" was initially only the size of a "ping-pong ball" but grew without him knowing, and before he knew it, it had "grown as big as the Earth" ("Love 1"). In poems like "Therefore," the process of "infinite proliferation of love" is captured, in which, once you fall in love with one person, you come to cherish all the beings that person loves equally.
Part 2 contains a well-written process of reflecting on one's inner self and thinking about "the person I want to become" rather than trying to fit myself into the eyes of others or the world's standards.
For example, in the poem “For Middle School Students,” the poem praises itself by saying, “What a great thing!” just for the fact that “I ate well today / I came to school without being absent / I didn’t fight with my friends,” and tells us to remember that “among many people / you are only one” (“Only You”).

In Part 3, the portrait of a family in modern society is depicted in a somewhat 'funny and sad' way.
In particular, if you look at “Minimum Father,” which is close to the poet’s self-confession, the reflection that he has not been able to do a good job as a father (head of household) while living as an “office worker, a member of society” and a “poet” is expressed in the phrase “Minimum father/shabby husband.”
And even though he may have lived as a father at the very least, the poet reminds us that family is something to be thankful for simply by existing, and that “it is a blessing that my mother is my mother” (“Parents’ Day”).
Part 4 shows that life's dreams and wisdom are not so far away.
The poet sings that happiness is “having a home to return to in the evening” and “having a song to sing alone when lonely.”
And he hints that “the jewels of the heart/that shine while abandoned/in the streets or among people” (“Poem 1”) are poetry.

Part 5 broadens the perspective to examine the relationship between the Earth and humans.
“All people are children of Grandfather Earth. / Please forgive our mistakes and take care of Grandfather Earth so that he can live a little longer.” (Letter to God) He writes poems in the form of letters, and while using the metaphor “The Earth is a vase,” he makes the discovery that “When a single flower withers, / It quickly becomes dark” (Earth).
As we struggle with the climate crisis and ecological changes, we are forced to reflect on how we can live in coexistence as citizens of the Earth.

As poet Ha Sang-man said, this book is a collection of poems that can resonate not only with young people but also with teachers and parents.
This is because my life as a teacher, a parent, a human being who has experienced adolescence, and a human being who has set foot on the earth is reflected in my poetry.
There are questions and concerns that remain constant even as times change. "I Just Want to Be Me" doesn't offer detailed instructions on how to navigate the turbulent whirlwind of emotions that young people face.
However, as poet Na Tae-ju wrote in “A Poet’s Note,” “the best way for emotionally unstable teenagers to receive help is to read poetry.”
As you read poetry, you will feel the content of the poem seep into your heart and your jumbled emotions gradually become more organized.
So, let's listen to the story the poet in the poetry collection tells as he moves to the seat next to us.

By chance inside me
You came in, at first
He only played ping pong balls

Growing up little by little
Be bigger than me
It has grown as big as the Earth

I hug you
Embrace the Earth.
---From "Love 1"

You love pigeons
I love the morning glory
You love babies
And the sound of the stream and the gentle breeze
I love even the white clouds

Because I love you like that
I do it by myself
I love pigeons
The bellflower, the baby, the sound of the stream,
A gentle breeze, and even white clouds
Become a loved one.
---From "Therefore"

What do you want to be when you grow up?
What kind of person are you going to be?
Adults only look at me
It's annoying to ask

(syncopation)

I think about it by myself
The person I want to be
What kind of person is he?

I'm just a human being
I want to be
I just want to be me
---From "The Person I Want to Become"

I saw it while traveling in Hokkaido
A statue erected on the campus of Hokkaido University
The sentence written in front of the statue
Voice Be Ambitious

More than a hundred years ago, I tried to teach Japanese youth.
A man named Clique from America
A sentence he left behind as he returned to his country
Boy, have a dream

Of course I know that too
Without even knowing the meaning properly
I lived with it engraved in my heart for a long time.
Is that really true?

I would like to correct that sentence and say it now
Boy, have a small dream
Have a small dream and make it come true
That is truly your success
---From "Boy, Have a Little Dream"

It's not something you should live by following others.
One star on your chest
Live in hiding
Don't miss that star
You become a star.
---From "You are a star"

someone's son
someone's brother
someone's friend
Living as someone's neighbor

Office worker, social worker,
The thing I bought with the most heart is
poet

As a result, it gets smaller
Shrinking heart
Minimum father
Shabby husband
---From "The Minimum Father"

In the middle of the night
For no reason
I woke up

By chance in the room
My eyes were drawn to the flower pot

A dried-out flower pot

Oh, it was you
You are thirsty, so I
You woke me up.
---From "In the Middle of the Night"

clear day
Go to the river
With a bowl
Reflected in the river
A piece of sky
I remembered

a few fish
A single white cloud
A few birdsongs
I rescued it

(syncopation)

These
I raised it and then performed it
If you kill me
How do I do it?

I turned around
Go back to the river
Throw them into the river
I released it

Fish and white clouds
All the birdsong
To the river
I gave it back

From that day on
The river and I
We became friends.

---From "The River and I"