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THE WRITERS POST (ISSN: 1527-5467) VOLUME 8 NUMBER 1 JAN 2006
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MAI VAN PHAN __________________________________
three poems by MAI
VAN PHAN translated by Do Xuan
Oanh Top-notch watchfulness my mind wanted to guide the mouse creeping out
from narrow sewer to courteously crawl into garbage bucket and lie
dead tidily garbage truck would bring the mice away to bury Forever the city would have no mice. Another way of thinking : Scoop water in Hai Phong port Water turned itself clean Itself bottled and rolled into restaurants,
hotels… Poor people come there to collect money. I was consecrated phenomenon photo published on cover page entertained until dead drunk. You or five or seven girls helped me home ? Caught a glimpse of somebody cycling in narrow
alley Or tens of thousands actors performing amid the square ? Never exert oneself to speak about confidence and
hope when crossing narrow door slit sea wind was shooting in each
arrow pleasantly fresh. Aware would survive The house of hamlet chief had a road pierce into its front door. Open fortune-telling book to consult there might be disaster. The book also said in item Mole page 267 third line from down up… hinting those who flirt and court… A mole on left eye of the girl collecting
electricity fees was identified being caught in the act last night hugging and kissing hamlet chief in
the dog meat pub… “Minutes were made into 5 copies of equal juridical value”. Old man owner of dog meat pub knew too many things questioned by other people forced to give statement during five hours back to gateway got violent scold from the wife Silver haired and still stupid ! The old man felt bitter at the nose choked with anger to the neck but thinking it over found it too true stealthily drank a few cups of alcohol went out to the yard looking at
sunshine. Next time aware only keep in mind What for speak out. Rhythm of autumn return Autumn dropped thousands and
thousands of ferry boats Breathing rhythmical the dipping
water sound An invisible rower leaned on my
shoulder Both river banks trembled thumping Rain drop broke from dream in summer
Leaf of grass rose to welcome each
gulp shilly-shally Dead leaves decayed, soul rushed to
the top Heaven returned to eye hollow in
melting dew. It certainly was so close from here
to that shore But why did it flutter throughout
autumn Who fainted to beauty of flower
infatuated Making that ferry boat return for
searching. MAI
VAN PHAN The Writers Post &
literature-in-translation, founded
1999, based in the US. Editorial
note: Works
published in this issue are simultaneously published in the printed Wordbridge magazine (ISSN: 1540-1723). Copyright
© Mai Van Phan
2006. Nothing in this magazine may be downloaded, distributed, or reproduced
without the permission of the author/ translator/ artist/ The Writers Post/ and Wordbridge magazine. Creating links to place The Writers
Post or any of its pages within other framesets or in other documents is
copyright violation, and is not permitted.
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