A poem in Vietnamese by Thanh Dang
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Photography: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

Oh look
A poem by thanh dang
Reads as delightful as flowers
–
Now now
A poem by thanh dang
There’s a mention of Ông Bình Vôi*
–
No no
A poem by thanh dang
There were these clouds drifting
–
Just kidding
A poem by thanh dang
“Em” can’t say…
–
There “em” was after reading it
Half-way up the hill, crying
The bird was my witness.
—
June 2022
_
Ô kìa
Bài thơ của thanh đặng
Đọc như là ngắm hoa
–
Vừa thôi
Bài thơ của thanh đặng
Có hình ông bình vôi
–
Không phải
Bài thơ của thanh đặng
Sao có làn mây trôi
–
Giởn nầy
Bài thơ của thanh đặng
Em không thèm nói đâu…
–
Chuyện kể rằng sau đó
Em khóc giữa lưng đồi
Có con chim làm chứng.
–
*Ông Bình Vôi: in folklore, a heartless monk was turned into a ceramic pot with a hole, which contained bitter mineral slaked lime paste, the lime and areca nut are then wrapped into a parcel with a betel leaf to chew as a refreshing condiment. Betel leaves are used as a stimulant, an antiseptic, and a breath freshener, whereas areca nut was considered an aphrodisiac.
Source: https://lichngaytot.com/phong-thuy/nguon-goc-ong-binh-voi-284-209174.html
Thanh Dang, the poet from Vietnam currently resides in Houston, Texas, U. S. A.
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.
Beautiful blog
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thank you.
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Delightful 😊
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yes, a very cheeky poet 🙂
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Poets have to be cheeky at times 🙂
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whatever to survive the new week right. 🙂
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Definitely 😊
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