Khuong Thi Men
Born in 1979 in Vinh Khuc, Van Giang, Hung Yen, Vietnam, poet Khuong Thi Men is author of two books – Poetry collection: ‘Leaning sunshine in the moon season’ published in 2015 and Poetry collection: ‘Thirsty Wind’ published in 2020. She has won Fourth Pho Hien Prize: Consolation prize for “Leaning sunshine in the moon season” and Fifth Pho Hien Prize: Second prize for “Thirsty Wind”.
Concept of poetry: To express the voice in heart, poetry takes root and saves the life.
Riverbank
Children take buffaloes across the riverbank
Peering into sunshine streaks
The sun chuckles and looks.
The woman walks across the riverbank
The river gets dry, the moon gets ugly
Unstable songs
The man turns to the riverbank path
The wind blows strongly, dry night with clock strikes.
Waves are likely the hugging arms
Wandering to where?
A flock of sparrow fly over the riverbank
Piecing autumn strips from lonely autumn breeze
Taking into its nest
Dawn calls for
Lives along the riverbank to begin.
***
Nghi Xuan afternoon sobbed verses of Kieu story
Ha Tinh is the waist of the Central region.
Lam River flows along the traditional songs.
The river sinks into boats, eyes of Vinh citadel cling to the wind.
Nghi Xuan afternoon shadows on Kieu poetry.
I grab Tien Dien moon
The moon vibrates the sound of someone’s sobbing.
The poet’s blood dripped on the tip of a pen
Did Nguyen Du feel sorry for Kieu or his pain for the human being?
Do next generations cry for Kieu or for To Nhu?
He returned to Giang Dinh after ten years of adventure.
The dynasty was up and down, splendid things were transformed
Nguyen Du leaned on poetry to stand up
To borrow Kieu verses and resolved personal feelings.
The verses were tossed and turned in Thanh Hien poetry collection.
Filtered tears from human being, poetry was like rain filled with compassion.
Bright mind and talent, let leave it back.
The poetry last forever through the dust of time.
Hong Linh Mountain, I longed for Lam River.
You waited for the moon at Giang Dinh wharf for wind singing
The Lao wind curved the six-eight poetry sentence
Van Dai waves were nostalgic for Thang Long innermost feeling.
I invited Tien Dien moon on Pho Hien.
The wind of Nguyet Ho was green on the poet’s shirt.
***
Shirt scent
The day you washed clothes at the pond
The scent made my pants trembled
The day you took off clothes and followed your husband
I rubbed your clothes to find the scent of old seasons
Rain blurred April
The shirt scent became memories
The old bridge when you used to wash clothes
Now my wife still washes clothes for me
Night brightens the city
My daughter falls in love since her full moon age
Love comes from that bridge with the shirt scent
Memories suddenly come back…
How to keep the shirt scent from being lost?
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