by Mai Văn Phấn

Translated from Vietnamese by Nhat-Lang Le
Edited by Susan Blanshard

Young Birds

Expecting their mother
Leaves around the nest
Call her to them

Hearing Squabble from a Neighbor

I see young birds
Newly born
So pitiful

Reading a Book

Suddenly confused
I stare
At a road in the night

Journal Writing

Everyone is disappointed
So am I
Then speak

Near a Water Fountain

A pair of pigeons
Look at each other
For a very long time

Stone Beach

Old men deep in discussions
A sweeping woman respectfully
Invites them to another bench

Meeting an Old Friend

Conversation
Silence
A brook is still flowing steadily

Walking

A clump of ivory bamboo twists and turns
An old man passing by
Arms swinging briskly

Still Like a Child

I stand on my veranda
Waiting for the moon
To slice me the biggest part

Fish in Cages

Slippery
They dare not look
At people passing by

Small Street

A prevailing wind
Blows this way
And that way

A Tree and its Shadow

Keep
Burying each other
Into the ground

Fuchsia Flowers

Hanging down
Cast its halo
Over me

Like the Sound of Breaking Crystals

Dropping a bunch of keys
Just that
Changed so many thoughts

Editor’s Note on Young Birds & Other Poems:

Young Birds & Other Poems is not Mai Văn Phấn’s first work to appear in Eastlit. His previous published pieces are:

• Bitter Potion & Other Poems appeared in Eastlit June 2014.