A poem in Vietnamese by Lê Vĩnh Tài
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Art: Trần Băng Khuê
the leaning tower
possibly the inspiration for millions of poems
straight up
`
you must note the moment
the poem is leaning
`
it’s when the poem expires
tries to lean in
tries to further extend its appeal
_____
April 2019
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tháp nghiêng
có thể là cảm hứng cho một triệu bài thơ
đứng thẳng
`
bạn hãy chú ý
nếu bài thơ bị nghiêng
`
vì lúc đó bài thơ bị hết hạn
nó cố nghiêng
cho thêm phần lãng mạn
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.
Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm 