The unique beauty of flowers and rocks in “Moss Flowers”

Southern literature in recent years has seen the emergence of female writers: Huynh Thi Quynh Nga in Tien Giang, Bao Binh in Can Tho, Cao Le Hong Rang and Pham My Hang in An Giang, Nguyen Kim Huong in Hau Giang, Chau Mong Thuy in Tra Vinh... and Hong Nhan in Dong Nai. After the short story collection "Doi co lau" (2023), Hong Nhan recently released the poetry collection "Hoa moss" published by the Writers Association Publishing House at the end of May 2025.

Poet Hong Nhan.

Hong Nhan’s full name is Le Thi Hong Nhan, graduated with a master’s degree in literature, taught high school in Dinh Quan, Dong Nai . She taught, studied and quietly composed with a burning passion for literature. In the poem “Moss Flower” which is the title of the entire collection of poems, Hong Nhan expressed her feelings: “No one else is me, the green moss / Persistent in a harsh environment / Waiting for the buds of love / Waiting for moss flowers when the wind changes seasons…”.

Many flowers have appeared in poetry, but moss flowers are almost the first time I have read them. A touching metaphor for the author to express his feelings. The book of poems has a melancholy about flowers that rarely appear in poetry, including flowers that grow from rocks, and rocks are also the main source of inspiration for the entire book of poems.

Unlike the poems of many other female poets, which are often filled with roses and brilliant sunflowers, the flowers in Hong Nhan's poems have differences. Here are bamboo flowers "spreading a graceful silk ribbon / bamboo flowers or sun flowers / dry curves of a lonely afternoon / longing". And here are lemon flowers "Why do I regret my smile / Lemon flowers keep their white fragrance throughout the night / This morning spring comes to the doorstep / Last night there were eyes looking at a hundred years...".

Dinh Quan is famous for Ba Chong Rock. In the poetry collection “Hoa moss”, the image of the rock where Hong Nhan is attached is one of the strong sources of inspiration, hidden in many poems, filled with many feelings. In the poem “Come back and listen to the stone street whisper”, she wrote: “Leaning to watch the crowded street / Ba Chong Rock has been weathered by years / You left, a lonely cloud / The mountain town is sad and silent, leaning”. In the poem “Can’t call it by name”, love is a magical thing that is difficult to express and when people cannot express their feelings, poetry speaks up and the rock speaks up: “I am so scared / Each precarious stone step / Can it carry the dream of sowing the heart into memory / The wild garden, the heart is open / Waiting for someone to come in and weave it deeply”.

Poetry collection "Moss Flowers" by Hong Nhan.

Mountain rocks and sea rocks. Rocks of nature and rocks in people's hearts. The image of rocks is deeply rooted in the subconscious and appears naturally in many of Hong Nhan's poems. Perhaps the poet is one of the writers who writes about rocks the most. And I have the feeling that the image of rocks is always present in every step, in every thought and even in her dreams: "Wild flowers blend with fragrant rice / For a thousand years, rocks wait as if they are angry with someone" ("Three Husbands, the rocks wait"). Or "There are days when the white sand shore is precarious / The sea stops breathing, footprints are imprinted in waiting / Angry waves retreat silently from the shore / The rocks stand and watch, counting the passing time" ("There are days"). And here again "Oh green leaves and green buds / Waking up / Calling the late stars / The rocks have grown moss / Oh dew drops rolling softly on the blades of grass / Rolling through the dry season / Rolling through the marshes of the dying moon's rain / Rolling over you" ("Cry, my dear"). In another context, a strange space appears with a magical, shimmering beauty and the rocks seem to enter the "Moon Soul": "Deep night / Soul of the street / Rocks move in the moonlight / The moon embraces the sleeping Mai waterfall forest / The moon gently and quietly watches the singing Mo stream".

All of this evokes the feeling that for Hong Nhan, rocks are not just rocks. Streets are not just streets. Stone streets and mountain streets through the poet's heart have become soul mates.

TAN HUNG

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/ve-dep-doc-dao-cua-hoa-va-da-trong-hoa-reu--a187823.html