Cleansed

by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa

(A Luc Bát Poem)

Soothed by the cooling rain
Washing the earthly stains away,
I step forth, once astray
Within a spiraling maze of thoughts.
My lightened mind, once fraught
With worries, harbors naught but peace
As I roam these cleansed streets–
A purer world my feet now tread.
I, gazing straight ahead,
Let past regrets be shed away.
The scenes, once dull and gray,
Glow in the sweeping rays of light.

The luc bat is a Vietnamese poetic form that means “six-eight.” In fact, the poem consists of alternating lines of six and eight syllables