faking an afternoon nap

A poem in Vietnamese by Đinh Trường Chinh
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Art: Đinh Trường Chinh

faking an afternoon nap

birdsongs at the door

eyes closed, imagining the spring 

waiting for the road

pretending to nap late into the afternoon

in the corner of a lonely day

dream of wildflowers, mountains, and meadows

waiting and ready to cry

or sleep that long sleep

with unburdened shoulders

moving ahead to never getting there

while the night will be forever sparse in dreams

March 2022

—–

vờ ngủ một giấc lười

tiếng chim bên cửa tới

nhắm mắt thấy mùa xuân

những con đường nằm đợi

vờ ngủ muộn giấc chiều

trong góc ngày quạnh hiu

mơ núi đồi hoa dại

chờ hoài một tiếng kêu

hay ngủ thêm giấc dài

chẳng gánh gì trên vai

cứ đi dù chẳng đến

đêm cứ gầy mộng sai

– đtc


Đinh Trường Chinh, the poet, and artist was born in 1970 in South Vietnam. The poet currently works in IT in Virginia, 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.

By Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

There's magic in translating a body of work from one language to another.

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