a poet just passed away

A poem in Vietnamese by Hứa Hiếu
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Photography: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

a poet just passed away

I lit a cigarette

gone was another poet

into poetry I snuffed it out

the words lit up

a flutter of rising white butterflies 

flowers.

.

một nhà thơ vừa mất

tôi đốt một điếu thuốc

một thi sĩ khác vừa khuất

tôi dụi tàn vào thơ

những con chữ bỗng phát hỏa

đàn bướm trắng bay lên

hoa.

.

October 2019

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Hứa Hiếu, the poet from Vung Tau, Vietnam, currently lives in Lawrenceville, United States.

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.