all the poems were in sky blue

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

all the poems were in sky blue

only the one that had been raped was red

–

all the moons were blue

only the sunrise was a watery orange

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all the green leaves lowered their heads smiling

human beings were always the ones looking up crying

–

the day Mother was on the saddle of a golden wind

flying, turned into a silvery star

–

with a dream that one day all the poems will unite

in a song in blue

—–

April 2022

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tất cả các bài thơ đều màu xanh da trời

chỉ bài thơ bị hiếp dâm màu đỏ

–

tất cả mặt trăng cũng đều màu xanh

chỉ có bình minh màu cam pha loãng

–

tất cả lá cây màu xanh đều cúi xuống mỉm cười

chỉ con người hay nhìn lên và khóc

–

ngày Mẹ cưỡi cơn gió màu vàng

bay lên trời thành ngôi sao màu bạc

–

mơ một ngày tất cả bài thơ đều hát

chỉ một màu xanh

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.

all the poems were in sky blue