unexpectedly warm
I take off my summer jacket
feeling as if
I were back
in Saigon
Published by
Nu Quang
Nu Quang, a Chinese Vietnamese, grew up during the war and lived under the Communist rule for ten years after Saigon fell. Now a naturalized US citizen, she writes from her background consisting of three cultures. Her tanka have been widely published in both online and print journals. Her haiku and haibun have also appeared in several magazines. She is the winner of the 2012 Jerry Kilbride Memorial English-Language Haibun Contest.
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10 thoughts on “”
evocative
warm memory
conjures visits to
calm reminiscences
Le présent et le passé donnent la profondeur à cette poésie. La transition est donnée par "feeling as if"; La structure est parfaitement haïku. Il est rare de voir une telle poésie sur ce site qui donne souvent des haïku qui ne savent pas traiter cette transition, cette rupture.
What a powerful poem! "Unexpectedly"indeed. The poet catches us off guard – the same way the moment apparently has caught her. An everyday action as simple as taking off an item of clothing has triggered a series of memories and emotions. Even without reading Nu Quang's background of living under communism in Vietnam, one senses something traumatic. The 3 final lines have a broken rhythm which is clearly deliberate. They have a beat that seems like an insistent, threatening knock on the door. And they read like stifled sobs. Haunting poetry! Thank you Nu for sharing it with us.
evocative
warm memory
conjures visits to
calm reminiscences
Rick, thank you. Great to meet you here.
Nu
Le présent et le passé donnent la profondeur à cette poésie. La transition est donnée par "feeling as if"; La structure est parfaitement haïku. Il est rare de voir une telle poésie sur ce site qui donne souvent des haïku qui ne savent pas traiter cette transition, cette rupture.
imra guen, thank you for your comments. I can figure out what you said. It is very kind of you.
Nu
previously burned
by the heat of the moment
now seeking
much higher latitudes
and temperate gray days
thank you, Nu, your evocative poem is well done — and elicits poetry in return :-)
Dianne, thanks for sharing your poem.
Nu
What a powerful poem! "Unexpectedly"indeed. The poet catches us off guard – the same way the moment apparently has caught her. An everyday action as simple as taking off an item of clothing has triggered a series of memories and emotions. Even without reading Nu Quang's background of living under communism in Vietnam, one senses something traumatic. The 3 final lines have a broken rhythm which is clearly deliberate. They have a beat that seems like an insistent, threatening knock on the door. And they read like stifled sobs. Haunting poetry! Thank you Nu for sharing it with us.
Strider
Strider, thank you very much for your comments. I truly appreciate them.
Nu
The unexpected warmth of the sun in your current location transports you back to your homeland – and we travel with you!. Lovely, Nu.
Great to see you here!
marion
Marion, I am glad you enjoyed my tanka.
Great to see you here, too!
Nu