A poem in Vietnamese by Lê Vĩnh Tài
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Photography: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
looking not back
at any sweet
kind of love
the verse creating a storm
the way one plays with fire
when you leave it all behind
it’s never fine
you may profess
it’s nothing no less
the sensitive
extended
awkward
silence
the words
and verse twisted
beyond recognition
like the familiar slap
on the face
đây không phải là
ký ức về
tình yêu dịu
ngọt
bài thơ làm cơn bão
như bạn từng thích chơi dao
khi bạn rời khỏi
cũng là lúc không thể tránh khỏi
bạn sẽ giả vờ
như thể chứng cứ không tồn tại
cũng có người lo ngại
một khoảng trống không thể diễn tả
bạn áp đảo
bóp nặn
bài thơ
một cách mù quáng
như có lần bạn để
người ta đập vỡ
tên và gương mặt
của chúng ta
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 
“the words
and verse twisted
beyond recognition
like the familiar slap
on the face”
Wow 👏🏻👏🏻
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Thank you Keerthi ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
Excellent poem.
”The words
and verse twisted
beyond recognition
like the familiar slap
on the face”
sounds like what most Hollywood films do to any written literary work if they make a movie supposedly based on it.
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heheh.. yeah, script writers have it tough yeah :))
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They do.
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Glad you visited my page, otherwise I would have missed this amazing gem. Captivating write.
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you are welcome and likewise, thank you. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person