Envy

in my heart the butterflies 

your fingers the essence of flowers, cleanse 

the unworthy flesh of a woman 

`

a severed century

the blissful anguish 

`

I’m jealous of a shadow 

a light that isn’t mine

I’m blinded

`

by the curving meadow

I’m envious of

the soft grass at your feet

the grit between your toes

the blood through your veins

the butterflies in your heart.

`

April 11,2021

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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.