VO THI NHU MAI
VO THI NHU MAI Poems
the quiet farmer's dream burns brightly, stained with blood
ploughing the soil where mothers sent their children
not to seek glory, but to guard the morning, guard it for planting
...
now the slow spring breeze
even the peach trees hold their breath
The cold has delayed past the promise of swallows
...
June arrives quietly
a soft wind carrying the red petals
they fall like a flame of time lit by cicadas
onto the bright schoolyard
...
I was born in the other hemisphere
Raised in the lullabies of Vietnam
Carrying the soul of red basalt soil
Sending my heart across to Australia's ocean waves
...
when I was small the old woman next door
mother of a fallen soldier
would sit by the bamboo gate at twilight
asking the way to the southern front
...
WALKING TOWARDS LOVE
he was raised to bow before certainty without a second thought
then she walked in with sunlight on her hair and a dare in her eyes
...
my home is neither far nor lost
in the singing of the wind
where thatched roofs and dreams
are cradled by the temple bell
...
my heart trembles with the scent of smoke
from the family life where flame dances
and the golden rice
steamed in the quiet warmth
...
the ao dai flows
a whisper of silk
tracing the curves of history
embodying the grace of a woman's soul
...
I grew up in a land of sun and wind
with a full moon resting on the thatched roof
A few old souls told stories of gods
while children fell asleep
...
In the open sea at dawn
The pond is entered, the water parted
Deep pink lotus petals
Sip the pale, lasting moonlight
...
Poet: Vo Thi Nhu Mai
From: Western Australia
From the first note in Saigon
...
If we knew spring would never return
To strum its notes along our wandering path
If we knew the journey would drift afar
If eternity called with a sudden breath
...
I never told my father
that the birds spoke for me
those tiny flares of green and red
breaking across the sky
...
VO THI NHU MAI Biography
Vo Thi Nhu Mai is a Vietnamese poet currently living and working in Perth, Western Australia. As an editor and translator, she has played a pivotal role in preserving and promoting Vietnamese voices across the globe. Apart from her many poetry books published in Vietnam and overseas, her work includes two major anthologies, The Rhythm of Vietnam and The Graceful Fold of Time, both of which compile the writings of over 250 Vietnamese authors living abroad. Each anthology sold out its 500-copy run and was launched in multiple Vietnamese provinces as well as in Perth, demonstrating the global resonance of Vietnamese diasporic literature. In her own poetry, Vo Thi Nhu Mai offers a gentle, genuine tribute to her two homes, Vietnam and Perth, through verses rich with cultural imagery, inclusive spirit, and lyrical simplicity. Her poems are as much about identity as they are about belonging; they celebrate diversity, friendship, and the harmony of everyday life. Below are four poems that beautifully reflect her voice, tender, observant, and deeply connected to place and people.)
The Best Poem Of VO THI NHU MAI
The Value Of Peace
the quiet farmer's dream burns brightly, stained with blood
ploughing the soil where mothers sent their children
not to seek glory, but to guard the morning, guard it for planting
peace is the song dancing in ancient rivers
chanted by hearts from Trưng to the hills of Quảng Trị
carried through wars full of purpose, freedom or silence
we remain standing, no matter what comes
we raise no sword for conquest, but for the right to
live on our land with dignity, sun above us, rice in our baskets
love is the strength that rhythms beneath the ruins
lifting the child from rubble to write a future
even in fire, the spirit of peace keeps glowing, sacred, enduring
so let the world remember our small, fierce nation
beating like drums in marches for truth and justice
standing with voices burning, singing of mercy
Copyright @ Vo Thi Nhu Mai
VO THI NHU MAI Comments
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