Afternoon in Vi Xuyen - Poem by Thy Nguyen

The rain lasts longer than the pain.
Mother sat there, her heart filled with longing and sorrow.
Echoes of battlefield fantasies
In her youth, what paths did her mother take?

ILLUSTRATION: TUAN ANH

The smoke from the incense lingered, evoking a sense of unease.
The constant haphazard fencing only wastes attention.
Ashes, blood, and the believer.
Nameless, bowing silently, the mother clings to all sides.

My mother is thinner than ever, her heart aching.
In the evening mist and frost, who will come to pick it up?
Each grain of sand holds a pain.
Vi Xuyen owes the wind a thousand superfluous verses.

I owe my mother this farewell.
The debt to Vi Xuyen has lasted for many broken springs.
The silence of a thousand melting reeds
Bowing low, I prostrate myself before Vi Xuyen...

Rows upon rows of tombstones lie meditating.
My heart is breaking with sobs, Mom!
My mother's back is bent, time is running out.
The scent of incense, the scent of grass, carrying the lullaby of a mother...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chieu-vi-xuyen-tho-cua-thy-nguyen-18525072615394728.htm