The greatest enemy in life
Is none other than ourselves!
The whirlpool of lies and ignorance
Is a blind road
Leading us into dreams with no way out.
Võ Thị Như Mai, a renowned Vietnamese poetess, based in Australia, shares her poetry
Võ Thị Như Mai was born in the soft breeze of high land Dalat, Vietnam carrying within her both a resilient spirit and the gentle soul of an artist. From her meaningful time at Edith Cowan University to the warm, intimate classrooms of Western Australia, she has been not only a dedicated teacher but also a poet and translator with a heart devoted to literature. Through her delicate verses and meaningful translations, she has helped bring Vietnamese literature to a wider audience, connecting communities through bilingual poetry festivals and meaningful publications. For her, literature is an art of words and a bridge of emotions mixed between real life and wishes. She finds inspiration in quiet moments and the small corners of everyday life, crafting tender poems and graceful translations. With four published poetry collections, nearly ten bilingual books, and more literary projects underway, she is a poet of passion and dedication. A woman of quiet charm and vision, she brings Vietnamese literature to the world while preserving the soul of her homeland in every poetic line.
LIFE’S GENTLE REFLECTIONS
The greatest enemy in life
Is none other than ourselves!
The whirlpool of lies and ignorance
Is a blind road
Leading us into dreams with no way out
Arrogance only brings failure
Pulling us into deep suffering
Jealousy, a quiet sorrow
Is like a sharp thorn
Silently piercing the heart
Mistakes make us lose who we are
Turning life into a dark, starless night
Neglecting our parents is a heavy sin
As burdensome as a thousand mountains
Weighing on the soul
Self-doubt is painful and sad
Like a bird with broken wings, unable to fly
But from every fall
We can rise again
Like trees growing through rock
Like light breaking through the darkness
Despair may feel endless
But hope is a steady star
Always shining in the sky
Health and wisdom
Are treasures more valuable than gold
Feelings are life’s debts
Sometimes as light as a passing breeze
Sometimes as heavy as unforgettable memories
Forgiveness is the greatest gift
Bringing calm in the middle of the noise of life
Knowledge alone isn’t enough
A kind heart
And a gentle soul
Are what truly define us
Giving and comforting
Are like drops of honey
Soothing the pain of the world
***
THE BOOK OF SEASONS
A book lies open
Its pages alive with blossoms
Their hues shifting from black and white to radiant colour
Each stroke of ink, colour of an era
Here, seasons reveals in cycles of brush and verse
Cherry blossoms scatter as hopes for renewal
Fallen leaves turn retreats into solitude
And the moon rises, a serene witness
To centuries of longing
The weight of tradition presses gently
Layered meanings drift like petals in the wind
Plum for passing beauty, pine for the everlasting
The borderlands between village and forest blur
Where foxes haunt the edges of knowing
Mystical, in-between
To look upon a garden
Is to see history tell stories
A pine’s shadow carries the chill of distant winters
While lanterns reflect moons in memory
Yet present still in gleaming silk
This is not nature untouched
But nature shaped, revered
Held both close and cautiously distant
A mirror for the human soul
Seasonal cycles
Woven into the fabric of living
And in the end
The cherry blossom
Is never just a cherry blossom
It is a thousand years of seeing
A transient note
The happiness of eternity
_______________
Read: Vietnam in Indonesia festival
