Lying on a Motorbike in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Over my head, I see the pastel sky,

Asleep on the black pleather,

Still like a sleeping horse in green shadow.

Down the alley between the thin houses,

The vendor's bell beckons

Into the distances of the afternoon.

To my right,

In the fingers of sunlight between the ancient birches,

The napkins of yesterday's lunch hour

Blaze up into golden leaves.

I lean back, as the evening darkens and comes on.

A swiftlet floats over, looking for home.

I have wasted my life.

Comments

Chinese Chess - Cờ Tướng - 象棋

The latest interest I've taken in my quest to learn more about my Vietnamese heritage is the game of Chinese chess. It is a bit ironic to look for Vietnamese culture in a game that has the word "Chinese" in its name, but I found that it is only so for the sake of translation. I have taken to this game for a number of reasons. 1. The game has cool historical references that have survived even today. Let's start with the board itself. Unlike a chess board, which is played on the squares, Chinese chess is played on the intersections of lines. What is most recognizably different from normal chess boards, however, is the large gap in the middle of the board as well as the lines that form an "x" on opposites sides of the board. The square that contains the "x" is known as the "fortress," or 宮(gōng ) in Chinese. The center divider is the river where s ome Chinese words are visible. The words on the left say, 楚河 (chǔ hé ) , mean...

...for Christmas

Take it away, Mr. Crosby!

It's official!

"Within the first nine months of 2015, zero cases of corruption were found in this city!" "...but we're not saying that corruption doesn't exist, just that none of our inspectors caught anyone." Are you kidding me? Thank you for the freaking clarification, Ms. Nga.

Nhớ Nguồn

Search This Blog