You Are a Manifestation
For my wife – Thanh Trang
Oh, my dear! The love letter that I often write,
On this Valentine day, I always remember you,
I am a wandering traveler, who stops in this wilderness,
Life with you—even the cold winter
still fills with wonder and beauty.
Since that time, we share the same ideals and beliefs:
To oblige for life and to serve the humanity.
You are like a charming, placid stream: sweet and tender.
You are the bright golden moon: delicate and elegant.
You are as lovely and modest as a thousand silent stars.
You are the manifestation and symbol of love that I always treasure.
The redwood is well-founded and resilient
just because of that loving water source,
May we be free as the white cranes
in this lovely path of life,
May our love for each other
and for our children forever flourish.
Valentine Day, 2008.
The Dew, Wind, Cloud and Your Manifestation
Dew forms
dawn’s rays,
Beautiful sunshine,
Impermanence sparks—
Fanciful.
Wind blew
colorful spring,
Playful springtime,
Poetry falls—
Magical.
Clouds disperse
watching the sunset,
enjoying the twilight,
shinning golden—
Fantastic.
A nightly star—
You are wonderful; charming,
You are shimmering; enchanting.
A dreamy realm,
An illusory dream.
A Moon Night
A late night
gorgeous moonlight,
The wind whispers
with thousands of stars
echoing the sounds of the universe,
Leisurely
listening to classical music
and the rhythmic heartbeat
of the unborn in harmony,
It soothes our souls, two but three
to the other shore of marvelous.
Natomas, Winter 2004.
Passionate Love
I came when the evening star rose,
I left when the morning star came.
A sweet night, but not long enough.
Going home, dew glistens on the cheek of the leaf.
Like the Majestic Moon
It’s a cold snowy night with a very bright moon.
A couple shares their dreams.
Hand in hand, walking in a wild forest
between the tall and majestic redwoods.
Upon them, a bright moon is so illuminating,
brightening all corners of the dark forest
through the two worlds of present and future.
The two worlds become one
like the bright majestic moon and its illuminating shadow.
Our Intertwined Souls
Between the night and day
Between the past and future
Between the fantasy and reality
Between there is and there is not
Just only
(two of us / the sun is up)!
Commitment
In front of us, the ocean is so immense.
It’s as magnificent and deep
as the love we share for each other.
There is white sand, along with ocean waves
and a beautiful Golden Gate in the background.
Witness our commitment to the love and respect
we give to each other until eternity.
Love
Without you, without you, a day seems unbearably lonely,
Without you, without you, a night seems longer and colder.
With you, with you, day and night become meaningful,
With you, with you, the world seems a happier soul.
The Sound Of Autumn
For both of us
An autumn night:
the sound of the howling wind,
the sound of a barking dog,
the sound of singing insects,
the sound of the expanding universe,
the sound of sleeping children,
the sound of your concerned voices,
the gently puffing sound of our children,
the sound of talent, beauty, fame, sleep, and food,
the sound of anguish and muffled cries of many people around the world.
the sound of greed, ignorance, and selfishness,
the sound of joy, anger, love, hatred
in me and you—
so many different sounds,
echoing...
counting each deep breath:
in, out, deep, slow,
Life is a breath and a breath is life,
A lifespan is as long as a breath:
in, out, deep, slow,
calming, smiling.
The earlier moments,
Thoughts and ideas are
just now the past.
Wonder, dream, and worry about the future
of children, of ourselves, of others or of anything else
yet to come.
Why worry?
If there is anything, it is only the present moment.
Listen to the sound of the howling wind at night.
Listen to the sound of our breaths!
To Be My Lover...
Oh my dear, live your life to the fullest for mankind.
Live selflessly, serenely, and tolerantly.
Then my dear, your wish will come true:
Our love always—mindful and leisurely—
on the middle path.
My Darling - Our 10th Anniversary
For my friend NL - LVC
Like the nuances of brilliant summer flowers,
Like the wonderful sound of the countryside bamboo,
Like charming fragrance of orchids,
Like the bitter and sweetness of life in humanity,
Like pleasanting and burning feelings in our twenties,
Like the sunbeam shining and harmonizing snow country,
Like the golden moonlight shimmering the night—
My dearest, without you:
The freely white cloud floats
in this magnificent and gentle land
bleakness as autumn without leaves.
Life is a beautiful dream.
Từ Vân – a beauty and soothing cloud.
Lương Các – a compassionate and leisurely guard.
Your love is the weather of my being,
Even if the blue vast ocean
no longer has any island—
I still have you.
Sacramento – Spring 2013.
Our Son
There are many sources of happiness
within the privilege of being parents—
It is as simple as the blue sky
or small children’s laughter,
or the rays of late night full moon,
or our baby’s first performance,
or the innocent and cute voice:
“Daddy! I performed well or what?”
Kim Quang Temple, Sacramento, CA.
On the Lunar New Year
– the Year of the Dragon, 2012.
Waking up
Waking up in middle of the night;
My surroundings are quiet.
There is only a sound
of breathing,
of my newborn, Khang.
Turning toward him,
he is smiling.
Time stands still.
Tranquility.
Thinking about life,
and how wonderful it is.
Yes, he is my beautiful son
with fine and elegant fingers.
His skin as white as an orchid,
His eyebrows are just like mine,
His black hair,
His cute nose.
He is the continuation:
the universe is him.
Him, the universe.
The breathing
of my son,
my happiness and worry.
He is smiling again.
Natomas, Fall 2005