past seeing to fear

A poem in Vietnamese by Lê Vĩnh Tài
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Photography: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm


I walk around there
around I walk you

fear of seeing past
past seeing to fear

the cracks on walls
walls the cracks are on

your fear of what
fear what is yours

end with us all
with us all end
could possibly find
within the cracks
when will the door open
open door will when

the gourd is shattered
the one crawling out
out crawling the one
blood by the day cold
turn into the people

________

tôi đi vòng quanh
vòng tôi đi bạn

sợ phải nhìn qua
qua nhìn phải sợ

vết nứt trên tường
tường trên vết nứt

bạn sợ những gì
sợ gì những bạn

cuối cùng chúng ta
cùng ta chúng cuối
có thể tìm thấy
từ trong vết nứt
khi nào cửa mở
cửa mở khi nào

quả bầu bị vỡ
những kẻ chui ra
chui ra những kẻ
máu ngày càng lạnh
hóa thành nhân dân
_____
DECEMBER 2019


Lê Vĩnh Tài, the poet and translator born in 1966 in Buon Ma Thuot, Daklak, Vietnam. The retired doctor is still a resident of the Western Highlands and a businessman in Buon Ma Thuot.

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.

By Lê Vĩnh Tài

Lê Vĩnh Tài, the poet and translator born in 1966 in Buon Ma Thuot, Daklak, Vietnam. The retired doctor is still a resident of the Western Highlands and a businessman in Buon Ma Thuot.

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