A poem in Vietnamese by Lê Vĩnh Tài
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Photography: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
An old lullaby
————
you return home
a prize in hand
your heart light
`
many felt lightheaded
as they watched you laughed
`
while I was in awe of the United States of America
like waiting butterflies I hovered
eyes wishful
`
my two tiny hands giddy
in front of all the candy
I wanted to taste everything
`
I wanted to take one and run
take and run
run and take
like in revolutions
a disappearing fog in my head
my childhood…
____
Bài hát ru ngày xưa
————
bạn trở về nhà
tay đầy món quà
và bạn trở nên dễ chịu
`
nhìn bạn cười
nhiều người muốn xỉu
`
khi tôi khám phá ra nước Mỹ
như loài bướm chờ đợi
bay trong ánh mắt xa xôi
`
hai bàn tay nhỏ bé của tôi
cũng như sôi
cũng muốn hốt
`
chạy và hốt
hốt và chạy
như những cuộc cách mạng
tưởng đã thành sương mù trong tâm trí
tuổi thơ…
_____
JUNE 2020
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.
Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm 
Reblogged this on Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News.
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We have many things that need to be changed in the US. This is a beautiful reflection of this. Thank you Trâm. Love and hugs, Joni 🦋
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thank you Joni, it’s always a blessing each time you drop in. I hope you have a wonderful week. Trâm. ❤
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Thank you my kind friend. Your work for the good of others, is truly admirable. I feel certain they feel such blessings from you sharing their art and words with us. Love, Joni ❤️
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❤ ❤ ❤
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❤️
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