Mrs. Tran

A poem by James Cases
Photography: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

Mrs Tran Mrs Tran
If anyone she can

Slaves away 8 to 8
Arrives on time never late

Witty, bright,
And yet polite

A script she’ll prepare
Subconsciously without care

Easy does it easy goes
Reaching 200 who knows?

Mrs Tran Mrs tran

Life wasn’t always this easy
Arriving by sea the ocean breezy

To the land down under is where she arrives
One of many keeping their lives

Arriving with nothing but hope up her sleeve
Hope for what she will soon achieve

Food rationed saved and shared
Even for hunger she’s prepared

Veggies fruits and all from the land
Rotten, spoilt still at hand

Humble starts created a tough exterior
Making others to her inferior

Mrs Tran OH Mrs Tran
Strong and independent just like a man

With that statement she’ll disagree
Difference in capabilities she doesn’t see

Lover of wine, soup, jelly and money
Never to greedy to fill an empty tummy

Simple, easy, short and sweet
Spares she uses for a family to eat

So Mrs Tran Mrs Tran

To some you are a friend or boss
Just mix the veggies with some fish sauce


James Cases, the poet currently working on his apprenticeship in Sydney, Australia

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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