Catcalling (Paperback)

Lee Soho’s debut collection of poems is an experimental lyric bildungsroman that confronts dynamics of abuse as it challenges poetic form. Catcalling exposes and ridicules the violences that the speaker-protagonist Kyungjin encounters as she navigates a patriarchal world. Divided in to five formally distinct sections—ranging from lyric to prose poems to experimental mash-ups to concrete forms—the book begins in Kyungjin’s childhood home as she recounts the haunting claustrophobia of verbal and psychological abuse, and follows her into the world as an emerging female poet navigating pervasive sexism in the era of Korea’s own movement against sexual violence and the global #MeToo movement.

Lee’s poetry is reactive: reacting to a series of foils, but also initiating a kind of chemical reaction that introduces something radically new to a world that has such confining gender and artistic expectations for a young poet. Following in the footsteps of feminist Korean poets like Kim Hyesoon, Kim Yideum, and Choi Seung-ja, who have made their way to English audiences in recent years, Lee Soho emphatically heralds the arrival of the next generation.

CatcallingHeybeautiful Victoria’s Snow-White Secret Imagine Whereareyougoing Humming DontyouspeakEnglish Spitting anchovy prince Doyouhavetime Dogs rubbing in Central Park Gun goes bang Chingchangchong Hopper’s window All day long Kissme Meatball Fat Friday Gorgeous ABC Avenue Ballerina tied to electric wire Hangoutwithme Midnight Comehere Foal Walk Classroom Left as a quote Smilegirl Areyoualone Waddling Spring shower in an island village Drinkwithme Upstairs maze Hungry bucket in the middle of the Hudson River Whatsyourphonenumber Soho Honey Slaughterhouse Nicebody Sycamore Ilove Church Tower Whistling all around Mylove I took off my tangled pants Lookatme Many pairs of hitchhikers Hey Heylookatme Wet vinyl Vintage lady Lookatmegirl Doyouwannafuck National Police Agency built out of straws Hellohello China girl crying jingling inside the paper cup Pathway Shortcut Areyouignoringme Going to school with unfamiliar bodies and dozing off in the corner Fuckingbitch Mom I’m fine I’m doing well I’m happy In the meantime my wish is GobacktoyourcountryHEYBEAUTIFUL VICTORIA’S SNOW-WHITE SECRET IMAGINE WHEREAREYOUGOING HUMMING DONTYOUSPEAKENGLISH SPITTING ANCHOVY PRINCE DOYOUHAVETIME DOGS RUBBING IN CENTRAL PARK GUN GOES BANG CHINGCHANGCHONG HOPPER’S WINDOW ALL DAY LONG KISSME MEATBALL FAT FRIDAY GORGEOUS ABC AVENUE BALLERINA TIED TO ELECTRIC WIRE HANGOUTWITHME MIDNIGHT COMEHERE FOAL WALK CLASSROOM LEFT AS A QUOTE SMILEGIRL AREYOUALONE WADDLING SPRING SHOWER IN AN ISLAND VILLAGE DRINKWITHME UPSTAIRS MAZE HUNGRY BUCKET IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HUDSON RIVER WHATSYOURPHONENUMBER SOHO HONEY SLAUGHTERHOUSE NICEBODY SYCAMORE ILOVE CHURCH TOWER WHISTLING ALL AROUND MYLOVE I TOOK OFF MY TANGLED PANTS LOOKATME MANY PAIRS OF HITCHHIKERS HEY HEYLOOKATME WET VINYL VINTAGE LADY LOOKATMEGIRL DOYOUWANNAFUCK NATIONAL POLICE AGENCY BUILT OUT OF STRAWS HELLOHELLO CHINA GIRL CRYING JINGLING INSIDE THE PAPER CUP PATHWAY SHORTCUT AREYOUIGNORINGME GOING TO SCHOOL WITH UNFAMILIAR BODIES AND DOZING OFF IN THE CORNER FUCKINGBITCH MOM I’M FINE I’M DOING WELL I’M HAPPY IN THE MEANTIME MY WISH IS GOBACKTOYOURCOUNTRYCohabitationI was born but somehow you were born too. From one to two. We crumple ourselves into the cramped stroller. We use the same uniform, man, room. Unni, the doctor says I should do whatever I want. So Unni, I’m not going to call you Unni anymore. Because I love you, I’m going to call you Kyungjin. Let’s be real, you don’t deserve to be called a big sister, my little sister says, peeling the apple with a knife. It’s the last apple, so you better finish it. Little sister points the knife at me as she peels the apple. Crunchcrunch I eat the apple.I slit little sister’s wrist for her. Mom says you slept all day inside her like it was your grave. I slit little sister’s wrist again. Hush little baby. You’re prettiest when you sleep. I put her to sleep on her stomach. I put her to sleep, pulling the blanket to the top of her head. How cramped how cramped the night is. From one to two. From one to two. A Day Without Any ContractionsAt night I thought of dayI thought of the moth dead inside the fluorescent lampLife, faint and farBefore the innumerable 0 wecount the corpses of the monkfish lying diagonally, discarded on our dining tableI carve out the eye of the souring monkfish We make a broth with all the right and wrong doings of the monkfish and drank it up for dinner We spread it wide open and dig around and close it Idebone the moldy monkfish and eat its spicy tender flesh In the kitchen Mom removes the skin and dresses me in it I become a bag and a bank account and a husbandtoo Mom holds my hand only after putting on rubber gloves on top of cotton glovesFinish your food You should eat the bones too Mom opens my mouth and feeds me her teat so I can wash it all down I spill a mouthful of milk and wear my milk-splashed panties and shove my milk-splashed finger down my throat My tongue floats because I can’t swallowMom weeps like a roll of toilet paperI thought about Momand the monkfish overflowing my spoonI thought about a day without any contractionsWithout failat night I thought of dayWe hung the dining table backwardWe grew kinder in unfamiliar places Oppa Likes That Type of GirlWhatareyoutryingtosay?Ifyou’refeelingsickgocookyourselfporridgeWhycallme?I’msickofyouYouwannacussmeouthuhGoaheadWhatareyouafraidof?IgaveyoueverythingbutnothingsatisfiesyouThisiswhyIdon’tlikedepressedgirlsHeystopwhiningandtalkstraightAndthinkitoverbeforeyoutalkHaveIbeendatingsuchastupidgirl?That’snotitYou’resmartIcanhaveaconversationwithyouDon’tactlikeyouknowsomethingIdon’tOppawillexplaineverythingtoyouonebyoneThisisallforyouHeyyoudon’tbelieveme?I’mjustkiddingWhyareyoureglaringlikethatI’vetoldyoubeforebutit’sbecauseyou’restubbornandsensitivethatourromanceturnedsourAnyothermanwould’vealreadybrokenupwithyouI’mlettingyouoffthehookagainDon’tdothisagainIfyou’rehavingsuchahardtimepouryourselfaglassandsleepYou’regoodatthatYou’regoingtoshakeitoffanywayCan’twejusthanguphappynow?Icouldn’tstandtolookatyouroutfitearlierBuyyourselfsomeclotheswhenyougetpaidNotfromanoutletmallbutsomethingbrandnamesoyouwon’tfuckingembarrassmeHeyonlyI’dtellyouthisYoucan’tfindanothermanlikemeanywhereIt’snotthatOppachangedYouchangedYouusedtoatleastpretendtogetdolledupbutIguessyoudon’teventrythesedaysAnywayI’mbusyCan’tyouunderstandthat?Ifyoudon’thaveajobwhydon’tyougetahobbyWatchtvStopwatchingmeIlikeawomanwho’sproductiveWhatareyougoingtodowithwhatIdidtodayStopaskingmeDoyounottrustme?You’rsoobsessedIfeellikeI’mgoingtolosemymindeverytimeyoudothisThisiswhyallthoseguysdumpedyouOnlyI’dstaywithyouforallthistimeDon’ttakethisthewrongwayYouthinkloverscan’tsaystufflikethistoeachother?I’mclosertoyouthananyoneelseintheworldI’mtheonlyonewhothinksofyouDon’tforgetitSobenicetoyourOppa