This Tết, lots of people like you
Chomp on soft stuff like watermelon
But after the first bite lose their teeth

This Tết, lots of people like you
Chomp on soft stuff like watermelon
But after the first bite lose their teeth
If you had a blow-up doll
Blow it up, take it to bed
Don’t just part its legs
Pretend you’re busy so no one will see you
You can pretend to be scribbling something in the dark
Have faith in what you’ve noted
Don’t cream and holler like babies
To then after wipe your butt
The Man of the government has turned into a storm
You mumbled
As you listened to each drop of water fall short of an abandoned heart
Fell upon an abandoned homeland
In your heart
Not because you’re incapable of speech
But because there’s nothing left to say
You’re nauseated
By the talk
Behind your back
In their hopes of greatness
Gosh the people…
Slipping and sliding
Dead fish in a field of inhumanity
In the city of inhumanity even the streets are dead
Better a drop of blood
And the heel of a child
Then
Your cruelty
Aiming for the Achilles
You’re knocked out
And their reason was
Because you wanted to exchange toys
And were ignorant of the cost
You had tiny wooden toys
You wanted to exchange for the world
Then you must die
With a long chain
Prepared
That’s how you’ve committed the mortal sin of murder
Even when it’s nothing
But a recurring dream
The bleeding cause of your pure heart
One upon a time there was only one Sun now there may be two
The truth is a long night
Full, then you know you’ve survived
Unto you allow me this
Darkness is something we all cherish
Because in the dark
Evil can be
Effortlessly misplaced
But it’s meaningless
When one is bitten by a dog
Should one bite back
Especially when
It’s a bit mad?
Yes. Then again probably no
A waste of time as I watched you
Mumbling to yourself
Living is to give and dying meant more giving (there’s a definite sharp accent on that)
In your sleep
The earth is your bed
The sky in baby blue was the mosquito net
The night in my mind
Limping women coming home on crutches
Legs battered
Confounded
The sky and stars up high, still so bright
You’re happy when it’s been explained
How cosy spring is
When I left
My shadow long upon the pavement
How I could never wear black
learn, learn my dear
learn how to set me free
just be
the loving soul I know you are
I thus heed
—
across the precipice of heaven and earth
in my bag pack,
your love for me.
“Nhà thơ, như chúng ta đều biết, là những người cực kỳ nhạy cảm, và theo quan sát của tôi, một trong những điều mà họ nhạy cảm nhất chính là tiền.”
It has be an active year of blogging on my part, thank you for being there for me. I will be on hiatus for the month of June.
May peace and joy dwell in your home.
Take Care.
Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
the songs in patches of the forest
and a peeling wall
the shedding rows of trees
within the glory of the sunset
“và những người nhảy múa kia, nhìn như những người điên trong mắt của những người không bao giờ nghe nhạc”