Three Poems by Khai Q. Nguyen

aslantwise

by KHAI Q. NGUYEN

 

rhemum in cat’s eyes falling

Patroclus and Achilles

in course of love they engaged

then done

mirthful and undefylde, simpering

amid

air saturated in dry pear-coloured days

an ant’s wandering around the table leg

drafts buffeted its colony

hair on the floor: languid, raven

pubic

slime left aslantwise

 

 

If There is a War

by KHAI Q. NGUYEN

 

It is raining cats and dogs

outside

Thunders roar

Lightnings flash, illuminating the inky sky

Drops of rain blended with the yellow light

look like mist of surreal power

The candle is flickering in

breaths of the wind

And I am brooding over

which type of conditional I should use

If there is a war…

(Is it right?)

I may lose my parents

my homeland which holds my childhood

my friends, my love

I may lose my legs in a battle

Is it for the peace of my country

or for the power of oligarchies?

I think of some boy

who may be growing up as I used to

whose mother can be as caring as the one I have

who loves ebulliently with youthful vim and vigour

and pure innocence, and quiet desperation, as I love

whose stories may be lost

yet untold

forever

It keeps pouring

As it has done for millions of years now.

 

 

An Ivy Arum

by KHAI Q. NGUYEN

 

dawn is sudden, none

fruits of love unseen

doomed we are so

crepuscular

corpse hung of the cat I slew

eyes falling out

disparu

 

hither and thither an ivy arum climbs, maroon and green

 

Khai Q. Nguyen is a poet, translator and editor based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He was educated at Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations. He keeps blog at quangkhainguyen.wordpress.com.

 

 

Editorial Note: (Please Read Closely Before Submitting)

Poets Basement is on Facebook. Find us as http://www.facebook.com/poets.basement.

To submit to Poets Basement, send an e-mail to CounterPunch’s poetry editor, Marc Beaudin at counterpunchpoetry@gmail.com with your name, the titles being submitted, and your website url or e-mail address (if you’d like this to appear with your work). Also indicate whether or not your poems have been previously published and where. For translations, include poem in original language and documentation of granted reprint/translation rights. Attach up to 5 poems and a short bio, written in 3rd person, as a single Word Document. Expect a response within two months (occasionally longer during periods of heavy submissions). Submissions not following the guidelines may or may not receive a response.

Poems accepted for online publication will be considered for possible inclusion of an upcoming print anthology.

For more details, tips and links to past installments, visit http://crowvoice.com/poets-basement. Thanks!

 

 

Editorial Note: (Please Read Closely Before Submitting) Poets Basement is now on Facebook. Find us ashttp://www.facebook.com/poets.basement. To submit to Poets Basement, send an e-mail to CounterPunch’s poetry editor, Marc Beaudin at counterpunchpoetry@gmail.com with your name, the titles being submitted, and your website url or e-mail address (if you’d like this to appear with your work). Also indicate whether or not your poems have been previously published and where. For translations, include poem in original language and documentation of granted reprint/translation rights. Attach up to 5 poems and a short bio, written in 3rd person, as a single Word Document. Expect a response within two months (occasionally longer during periods of heavy submissions). Submissions not following the guidelines may or may not receive a response. Poems accepted for online publication will be considered for possible inclusion of an upcoming print anthology. For more details, tips and links to past installments, visit http://crowvoice.com/poets-basement. Thanks!