Photography & a poem in Vietnamese by Đinh Trường Chinh
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
I have a job that is blacker than black
joe in arrogant orange
blow in an off hand white
in fact
there are the joe blow in a disgusting
mucus yellow.
head down I do my job
leaving my mark here, rubbing it off there
a job blacker than black
a job in the dark
if only
I was a light switch
up is daylight
down is night.
home after working in the fields
cloak in another black top for the road
lining up amongst strangers
skin in an assortment of colours
for a carton of beer
the unbottling of a bottomless
deep dark night.
(discarded bits of morning poetry)
tôi có cái “job” đen thui
thằng màu cam khinh bỉ
thằng màu trắng miệt thị
thậm chí
có những thằng màu vàng
cũng phỉ nhổ.
tôi cứ cặm cụi làm
bôi bôi, xoá xoá
cái việc gì
đen thui tối mò
ước gì
mình là cái công tắc
bật lên là ngày
bật xuống là đêm.
chiều đi cày về
lại khoác chiếc áo đen ra đường
đứng sắp hàng
chung quanh những người xa lạ
đủ mọi màu sắc
mua một két bia
rồi khui đêm ra
đen thủi thui.
(thơ rác sáng)
9.2024
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.
Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm 
Thank you for the translation, my friend. I could not agree more with the first stanza. How many millions of people around this world of ours feel the same? Their treat is to go home, open a beer, and put their feet up. I always enjoy the honesty in the poems you both write and translate. Truly amazing.
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The algorithm for translating is fantastic now Joni. I believe I am now out of a job. Time to find a new adventure my friend. Though I am glad you were there on this one.
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