Remembering Truong Sa - Poem by Hoang Thuy Anh

Illustration: Van Nguyen

1.

sun hanging behind

your shadow fills my chest

Are you seasick or drunk on the salty wind of my eyes?

The sea dances and murmurs in the white night

I asked you do you remember your hometown much?

well thirty years

full moon on human shoulder

2.

my father was in the forest when i was little

mother hugged the worn silver backpack tightly

night listening to the wind flying from Can Gio

This trip I took my dad to Truong Sa.

The sea snail still sings the song of fifty young men parting the waves

wind howling from all directions

tonight i have you and dad

Tell me the story of the forest and the island

shine on the sea flower

3.

four sides of sunlight interwoven

school of fish chatting leisurely

Oval shaped Da Thi coral reef

like the Lac Viet fire that burned for a thousand years

remember yesterday Len Dao Co Lin sea

the shadow of the soldier leaning towards the sea

sunken island with no shade trees

the sound of waves and whispers

Nowhere is as salty as the submerged island

salty taste of love blood and tears

64 hearts beating as one

permeate the coral sparkle

4.

human voice warmer than dream

tell me about the color of water

sun window sea

green buds blooming

who put stars full night

touch everywhere is immense

salty everywhere

Only the kiss of the sea is a milestone of memory

life jacket re-fastener

waving goodbye across the white waves

train whistle wraps the sunset

heart is softer than the stormy afternoon

( Excerpt from Remembering Truong Sa)