Seeing Stars At Night

In the aftermath of the Korean War, my parents were one of the many millions of people left to struggle cold and hunger in the ravaged countryside. While my father was eating bark peeled from trees, my mother slept in abandoned chicken coops with her family during the winters. She said the icicles hanging from the nails in the tin roofs gleamed like stars in the night sky. After having immigrated to New York in the early 80’s, my young parents were able to establish themselves financially.