The Poems Written from Vietnam...
Date: 2/14/2006 8:49:03 PM Pacific Standard Time
Valentine’s Day from Can Tho, Vietnam
Dear Papas San,
With the MIA bracelet worn on my wrist, I am writing you, America and her proud
sons and daughters with my deepest thanks.
From Saigon to Hanoi (I saw the Hanoi Hilton) to Ha Long Bay to Nha Trang to Qui
Nhon to Cam Ranh to the Mekong Delta, I have seen the immortal symbol of your
spirit: the U.S.-built barracks still stand tall at Tan Son Nhat Airport, where
the unforgettable C-130 took off (with me) in the darkness of the night before
the sudden dawn of Communism.
From the South to the Central, I have seen the stubborn asphalt airfields the
Viet vets had left remaining powerfully beside the new paths freshly dotted with
potholes.
There is so much to share with you -- my 21
days spent in Vietnam since the fall of Saigon.
My first Tết in peace. My
first morning mass I attended at Nhà Thờ Đức Bà -- the
Saigon Cathedral -- Sunday, 29 February, day one of Tết Bính Tuất,
the year of the dog.
I am still wandering…
Prayerfully yours,
Linh Duy Vo
Dịu
Dàng
Dịu
dàng với anh măi nhé em
Hương
t́nh quyện với ánh trăng đêm
Mai
này nhỡ t́nh ta ngăn cách
Thùy
dương gợn sóng ta nhớ thêm...
Vơ Duy Linh
Hà
Nội, 6 February 2006 ©
Dịu
Dàng / Gentleness
Be
gentle to me, my love
The
fragrance intertwined with the moonlight
Tomorrow
if we are separated
The
ocean's waves shall cherish our yesternight...
Linh
Duy Vo
Thương
Quê
hương ba mươi năm cách biệt
Ước
mơ một sáng trở về đây
Ánh
mắt bạn thân như ngày trước
Người
tưởng mất nhau, vẫn c̣n đây
Giây
phút hàn huyên sao ngắn quá
Mai
tối bay về chốn trời Tây
An
phận tha phương ḷng viễn xứ
Nhớ
thương qua khói thuốc đầu tay...
Vơ Duy Linh
Qui
Nhơn, 8 February 2006 ©
Thương
/ Love
My
birth country, I have been away three decades
It
has been my dream to return home
Your
gaze is still a warm one
Thought,
though,
we forever lost each other
The
time we gathered was too short
Tomorrow
night I shall fly back to my adopted land
Far
away in the U.S.A.
I
will remember you holding your burning cigarette...
Linh
Duy Vo
Nhớ
Nhớ
về anh yêu, dĩ văng ơi
Im
ả ngày xuân dạ bồi hồi
Em
kể chuyện xưa ta luyến nhớ
Một
bóng h́nh trong trái tim thôi...
Vơ Duy Linh
Sài
G̣n, 10 February 2006 ©
Nhớ
/ Missing You
I
miss you, my darling, I miss the time of our past
Tết
is here; the spring breeze touches my soul
I
retell the stories before our loss of Saigon,
Affirming my love for you in my heart...
Linh
Duy Vo
Qua Phố Xưa
Tôi
t́nh cờ qua đây
Rạng
đông phố Sài G̣n
Ánh
mắt buồn qua lại
Những
vỉa hè héo hon
Gió,
bụi đường, khói xe...
Này
người em mới quen
Hôm
qua không biết nhau
Ước
mộng thật đơn sơ
Ngày
em xong đại học
Giấc
mơ em sẽ thành...
Vơ Duy Linh
Sài
G̣n, 12 February 2006 ©
Qua
Phố Xưa
(Walking
Along My Old Hometown)
I
made a trip home, as a blessing
Saigon
is at dawn
I
see the sad eyes
The
sidewalks seem spiritless
The
dust, the black smoke from a sea of scooters
My
new acquaintance, I have now met you
As
we were strangers yesterday
You
shared with me your dream, a simple one
That
is finishing your schooling -- accounting;
My
heart is for your dream come true...
Linh
Duy Vo
To
Be Continued...
Subj: Re: To America...
Date: 2/26/2006 4:42:57 AM Pacific Standard Time
From: J<>@aol.com (American Viet vet)
To: Poet Linh D Vo
Good morning Linh. I am happy for you that you were able to return to you homeland,
Vietnam. I Think that land never changes only people do. Did you find that to be true?
I have enjoyed your poems about this emotional visit. Thank you for sharing them with me.
How do you say good morning in Vietnamese?
Your friend, Royal Jon
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