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

by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa

The Egg of Night has cracked and gives way to
The radiant Golden Yolk that sets the skies
Awash with warmth, whose presence ousts the cold
And somber darkness that enshrouds one’s eyes.

So rise and shine! Awaken from the clutch
Of scattered shadows slithering in your room.
Take in that fresh, delicious taste of Day
And cleanse your mind of lingering ghosts that loom.

What’s gone is gone. What’s done is done. And naught
Can backward turn the steadfast hands of time.
The spilled milk’s spoiled; the dropped meat’s rotten now,
So turn from them and gaze toward the sublime–

Toward where the Present’s left a wondrous Gift
Outside your window, yearning to be claimed,
So rise and seize it with rekindled might!
Today’s a new day! Toward the Heaven aim!

So rise! The Day has only just begun
With hidden joys and prizes to be won,
And there is much to do before it’s done,
And there is much to do before it’s done.

by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa

A million blossoms greet the dawn of day,
A million in the darkness wilt away.
Unerringly, the wheel of nature spins;
Decay brings life as life turns to decay.

by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa

I have swum with sharks,
which is safer than with man,
for sharks are simple;
they smell blood, and they feast, true
to their instincts and nature.

Humans are different,
for they smell blood and approach
with smile-painted masks,
sniffing out their prey’s weakness
and prolonging their sufferings.

Sharks are faithful to
themselves and their needs always
for their survival,
giving prey swift killing blows,
not relishing in their pain.

Humans are different,
many yearning for the pain
of their kin and kind,
Smiling with false sympathy while
laughing with a knife unsheathed.

Sharks remain honest
with their intentions to kill,
ignore, or retreat,
not indulging in deceit;
what you see is what you get.

Humans are different;
what you see is a mystery,
and what you get is
not unlike a slot machine–

all or nothing, randomly.