A poem in English by Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Translator: Vũ Hoàng Thư
Published in the August 2022 quarterly publication of Văn Nghệ Biển Khơi 94
in the dark
there are pieces
small pieces of me
no one sees
wedged between the floorboards
spattered upon the peeling paint
who said I was a saint?
the blood congealed
beyond rancid
dry
oh my
the pieces of me you see
bits of integrity
a fading ego
giấu bên trong
tôi li ti
hồn mảnh vụn
người thấy gì ở tôi
như ván chen
lớp sơn tồi
ai sẽ bảo thánh thần tôi mặc áo
máu đặc quánh
tanh lợm chao
khô khốc
lẫn lời tiếng gào bạc phụ
mảnh đời tôi người tưởng từ
những vẹn toàn thanh khiết như nguyên khai
ngờ đâu bản mục tàn phai
—
Vũ Hoàng Thư phỏng dịch
____
Vũ Hoàng Thư, born Võ Anh Tuấn 1949 in Hue, Vietnam. The poet and translator, head editor of bienkhoi.com currently lives in Fountain Valley, California.
Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm, the blogger, poet, and translator, was born in 1971 in Phu Nhuan, Saigon, Vietnam. The pharmacist currently lives and works in Western Sydney, Australia.
Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm 
Very interesting poem ✍️😇💙. Think you shine brilliantly in the dark 😁🤗
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heheh, thanks, I do glow in the dark like plankton 🙂
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Hahahaa yes, your illuminating plankton-power lights me up with smile as well 😆🤭. And you are very welcome — it’s always a pleasure 🥰
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Try and not break your face smiling yeah. :))
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I am not worried, your poems will fix it 😂😆
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awe.. cheers to that
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Cheers indeed 🍻🙌😆. Have a blessed day ❤
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