many years ago
when I was in the army
my first bus ride from
Seoul to Dongduchon
so different than Chicago
and the Illinois prairie,
so far from home in a strange land
of mountains hovering above rice patties
and the road of broken cement
packed with buffalo, vehicles, and pedestrians
all in a chorus of raucus sounds
until we arrived at the town
of Dongduchon lining the valley highway
fed by the US Army Camp Casey
which climbed in steps up the hill.
So much time has passed.
I recently looked up Dongduchon online
and saw a modern train station with high rise buildings in the background