by Mai Văn Phấn

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

A Happy Moment

Is when tearing
A calendar page
Becomes easier

New Sun

A pigeon flies
Leading the way
For a large cloud

Stepping on a Patch of Sunlight

I hold tight
Until
The yellow no longer moves

High Sun

A dragonfly departs
A bindweed flower
Keeps waving

Longan Flowers

Cling to a bee’s feet
Which drops pollen
To the ground

High Sky

A fish
Wiggles its tail
Up the water

Beautiful Day

My neighbor is away
A window high up
Left open

Humid Day

A photo blurs with moisture
I see my relatives
From another world

Yellow Moonlight

Spreads everywhere
It’s time
For me to go home

Sound of Wings Flapping

I drink my cup of water
Yet do not know the name of the bird
That just flew away

A White-Eye

Lands upon
The sunlight
The garden full of thorns

A Mindless Butterfly

Gets lost and flies into my room
I turn out the lights
Still it’s bright outside

Sparrows

In spring
Bathe
Even in places without water

Editor’s Note on A Happy Moment & Other Poems:

A Happy Moment & 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.
• Young Birds & Other Poems featured in Eastlit March 2015.