Illustration by: Tuan Anh
I wonder if Le Can sweet potatoes are available this season? (*)
The kind of potato he used to eat and like
I want to send you a plate of potato chips, a memento of memories.
He softly murmured about the distant scent of flowers, lost in thought.
I remember the time he came to visit.
Call her outside and whisper:
"I think you don't know how to save anything."
Whatever amount was spent, it was all gone in an instant.
Like me, I always set aside a part.
Just in case the weather changes, my dear.
I'm not rich at all, remember that.
Life reminds us to set aside a portion for ourselves…”
At that time, I smiled and nodded in agreement.
His advice was sincere, but difficult to put into practice.
Little did you know, for me, time had run out.
Is this the final piece of advice?
There are people we only meet once.
Having a few beers together makes you friendly.
During those years, I was a petty vagabond.
Like water hyacinths drifting down and then drifting back up.
I have an older brother who is much older than me.
My professional experience is even more extensive.
Why does it sound almost like what you said?
As for the Le Can sweet potato dish, it's always refilled when you finish it.
I remember when you were little, I went to the school for students from the South.
Talking about poetry, we all laughed heartily.
It's poetry, not a joke, so why is it so funny?
Yes, I'm happy to hear your story.
Because the poems he read were so pure.
Because his smile is cute and approachable.
Because of its appearance, because of what is unclear.
We were as happy as if we were welcoming our mother home from the distant market.
Growing up, I realized how much you loved your mother.
It's just mother and child, just child and mother.
The gentle strokes of the morning broom
My mother swept the leaves, piled them into a heap, and looked wistful.
"My house is at 24 Cot Co Street"
He wrote the address as a poem.
Send a message to everyone, young and old, near and far.
Just come if you're happy.
The day I went to the Soviet Union
Mr. Canh (**) and I were given twenty rubles as a New Year's gift by him.
Craving beer, empty pockets, first thing in the morning.
The gifts you gave me are like Christmas presents.
We quickly invited him down to the lobby.
Cold Russian beer
We laughed like apple blossoms in the yard.
Then, that evening in Kyiv.
We're waiting for the last tram.
There's something about it that feels cold and melancholic.
Sneaking into the deserted train station
You're too young to understand.
What are you feeling right now?
Like a train journey
To which station is so far away?
Forty years
Completely silent.
(*) A poem by Xuan Dieu when he visited Gia Lai : "Thank you to the teacher couple from Hue/ For treating me to a meal of Le Can sweet potatoes."
(**) Poet Pham Ngoc Canh, in the Vietnamese poets' delegation visiting the Soviet Union in 1985.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/xin-gui-ve-anh-mot-dia-khoai-tho-cua-thanh-thao-185251213183424644.htm
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