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Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm | Như bức tường sơn mới, mùi của anh – the freshly painted wall, the scent of you (133)

Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm, the blogger, activist, poet and translator, born 1971 in Phu Nhuan, Saigon, Vietnam. The pharmacist currently lives and works in Western Sydney, Australia.

By Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

Có những thứ như giấy rách

tốt nhất là dục thùng rác
Đốt chúng
những lá thư
cần gì chứ
Trong những thứ
như
bức tường sơn mới
mùi anh
bọt xà phòng
tan theo
từng
ngón
Nỗi đau tột cùng
ong đốt
làm em khóc
đau đớn một lần
ôi mặt trời mọc
tiếng cười của anh
Em ước ơi,
ta chỉ là
những người dưng.
—

There are things like torn paper

best thrown away
today
burn them, the letters
it matters, no
In all things,
the freshly painted wall
the scent of you
the dissolving suds
the imagined touch
The excruciating ache
the bee sting,
it made me cry
just that once, my pain
your laughter
the rising of a sun
I wish then,
We have never met.
May 2021

By Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

There's magic in translating a body of work from one language to another.

7 replies on “Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm | Như bức tường sơn mới, mùi của anh – the freshly painted wall, the scent of you (133)”

I feel this so much. This is such a beautifully written and raw piece from start to finish. I’m getting the sense of someone not being who we thought they were, or that they changed for the worse. It therefore impacts us for the worse with their actions. Very stunning, and the final line hits hard. Fantastic, mesmerizing, and evocative writing. Your work is very unique.

Liked by 1 person

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