15 Poems

Phuong Le, Vietnam

1. Forever waiting (July 5, 2015)

I'm a woman of fifty
Looking for my Mom
For over forty years
A lot of bitter tears.
       Going here and there.
       Like an outcast
       The world is too big.
       For a lonely child.
I dreamt about my Mom,
With her gentle caress.
I dreamt of her warm hugs.
And those loving kisses.
       I am now fifty,
       Forever in great need
       Of Mom’s loving care
       That is never there.

2. My name is Garma (Aug. 8, 2015)

Inspired by Phan Thi Trang, whose father lost his life on Garma island (Spratly Islands, Vietnam)

My name is Garma,
The place where my Dad once lived,
The island he finally left
In the year of 1988.
       I could never cry since that day.
       News arrived, ‘Dad never comes back.’
       But I write to him as I always did.
       ‘Cos he’s always in my heart and mind.
I wrote about our daily life,
Which he often liked to read.
I wrote about our new parrot
That Mom brought home the other day.
I wrote about those naughty friends
Who read love letters in the Math class.
I wrote about our newborn dog
That looked funny with a ribbon.
       And now at this ceremony
       For those Garma men like Dad
       I confirmed that my Dad never went,
       Nor did he ever leave us.
       And as a great lover of the sea,
       He now feels completely free.

3. Happiness (March 2016)

Happiness is to wake up with a cup of coffee,
Listening to a sweet melody.
Happiness is to wake up with the sunshine,
Looking at the sky with an empty mind.
Happiness is to enjoy the sea breeze in the hair,
Feeling its salty smell in the air.
Happiness is not to rush about for the day,
Without a deadline to cause you dismay.
Happiness can come naturally,
As simple as things can be.

4. Trust Nobody (March 2016)

Trust nobody
For life is not to be trusted.
       Trust not the taxi drivers
       Who charge unexpected fares.
Trust not the swindling salesmen
Who babbled nothing but lies.
       Trust not the greedy farmers
       Who sell inorganic rice.
Trust not the boastful teachers
Who like to preach all the time.
       Trust not the awkward surgeons.
       Whose treatment is imprecise.
But if we trust nobody,
We have to live all alone.

5. Go away, son (April 2016)

Go away, son.
Follow your new Mom and Dad.
Go for a good time ahead.
       Go, son, without any regret.
       Go away, son.
       Go join their affluent life.
       Go to forget the hard times.
And go to make your future right.
Go away, son.
Go for positive changes.
Go to enjoy their riches.
Please go with my heartfelt wishes.
       Go, my son, to be somebody.
       Go though you may never forgive
       Nor will you ever feel for me.
       Go, son, with my apologies.

6. Where have the years gone? (April 2016)

Where are the years of our childhood?
Then we enjoyed awesome afternoons,
Skipping school for fun on sand dunes.
And silly games for April fools.
       Where are the years of our teenage?
       We had no fear of unknown fates.
       Every change made us amazed.
       Great excitement for our first dates.
       Pouring hearts out with our soul mates.
Where are the years of our green youth?
Filled with inspiring ambitions,
We dreamt of a new horizon,
Without any hesitation.
       Where is the time that has gone by?
       I asked the ocean and the sky.
       Neither one could give a reply.
       I felt the tears in my eyes.

7. Forget your sorrows (May 2016)

Forget your sorrows, my dear.
Morning comes after night time,
Darkness followed by sunlight.
Trouble is part of our life.
       Forget your sorrows, my dear.
       Put your miseries to rest.
       Life is a series of tests.
       There is a long road ahead.
Forget your sorrows, my dear.
Don’t bury yourself in pain.
The past can never be changed.
Be strong and stand up again.

8. Wake up with a smile (May 2016)

Wake up with a smile.
It will light your life.
       Wake up with a smile.
       Any life can shine.
Wake up with a smile.
Don’t waste any time.
       Wake up with a smile.
       Tomorrow is fine.

9. Reasons (June 2016)

I feel your Dad’s pains.
I cry your Mom’s tears.
I watch your clear eyes.
This is a kidney of mine
I hope you enjoy your life.

10. Children without Childhood (June 2016)

Children are carefree.
Children are lucky.
Children are naïve.
That’s what people believe.
       We are also children.
       We carry rock and salt.
       Our clothes are often torn.
       We work from dusk till dawn.
We are children of nine.
We walk for miles and miles.
Selling cakes and cookies.
But we never taste any.
       We are children of five,
       Lying by a roadside.
       Mom died before our eyes
       During a harsh gunfire.
We are children of three.
Our parents nobody can see.
They left us by the quay.
Are we lucky as you believe?

11. You’re still around (June 2016)

You went away for so long.
So long that only my white hair can tell.
So long that only my bent back can tell.
So long that your green grave can tell.
       But I’m still writing to you
       On every occasion of your birthday
       I send you a card with my best wishes,
       Praying that it could shine your day.
And I’m still writing to you
In each of your death anniversary.
To tell you lots of endless stories.
That I have heard about the sea.
       I send my letters with the breeze
       So you can read and feel at ease.
       I watch the ash flying up the trees.
       And see your smiles as you say ‘cheese’.

12. My father didn’t cry (Oct. 2016)

My father didn’t cry
when he took the family through the bombing.
My father didn’t cry
when he suddenly lost all his savings in a flood.
My father didn’t cry
when his closest friend betrayed him in business.
My father didn’t cry
when he was sacked from his lifetime job.
My father didn’t cry
all the years he raised us during the war.

But:
He cried when his son left him for a new land.
He cried when he woke up in search of a hand.
He cried when there was a call from a good friend.
My Dad would cry for things seemingly not grand.

13. I didn’t know how to be like Dad (Oct. 2016)

I was thirteen when my Dad left us forever.
I felt the whole world completely shattered.
I wondered how to be a man like my father.
I was completely lost in all my endeavours.

But I need to keep my family together.
I’ll make little toys for my little sister.
I’ll take care of the garden in my leisure.
I’ll fix the bike to make it work better.
I’ll tighten the doors in stormy weather.
I’ll lend Mom a shoulder to lessen her pressure.
I’ll do things now, rather than wait till later.
I’m a teenager learning to be stronger.

14. Twenty first century (Oct. 2016)

Twenty first century,
Human beings have explored new stars and planets.
They’ve travelled to the bottom of the deep sea.
They’ve invented marvelous machines and magic.
Beyond the wildest understanding of many people.

But in twenty first century,
Humans don’t talk but they use weapons to reply
Babies hear not lullabies but only gunfire.
Young people die before reaching their prime of life.
Withered women shiver in darkness of the night.

Ancient statues have been shrieking in agony.
Streams have been crying till they are now empty.
Burnt forests have become merely lifeless ashes.
Old mighty tigers have lost their territory.

Twenty first century,
Twenty first century,
Is it our destiny?

15. Being so accustomed (Oct. 2016)

Being so accustomed to noise makes silence abnormal.
Being so accustomed to chaos makes order strange.
Being so accustomed to anarchy makes laws a discomfort.
Being so accustomed to war makes peace unfamiliar.
Being so accustomed to acceptance makes rebels seem grotesque.
Being so accustomed to dependence makes independence weird.
Being so accustomed to anger makes calmness become odd.
Being so accustomed to hatred makes love such a luxury.
Being so accustomed to injustice makes justice so uncommon.
Being so accustomed to betrayal makes loyalty truly unreal.
Being so accustomed to normality turns abnormality into norms.
Being born in suffering, will you be able to enjoy happiness?