unexpectedly warm
I take off my summer jacket
feeling as if
I were back
in Saigon

10 Responses

  1. Rick Hartwell Says:

    evocative
    warm memory
    conjures visits to
    calm reminiscences

  2. Nu Quang Says:

    Rick, thank you. Great to meet you here.

    Nu

  3. imra guen Says:

    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.

  4. Nu Quang Says:

    imra guen, thank you for your comments. I can figure out what you said. It is very kind of you.

    Nu

  5. Dianne Says:

    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 :-)

  6. Nu Quang Says:

    Dianne, thanks for sharing your poem.

    Nu

  7. haikuapprentice Says:

    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

  8. Nu Quang Says:

    Strider, thank you very much for your comments. I truly appreciate them.

    Nu

  9. seaviewwarrenpoint Says:

    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

  10. Nu Quang Says:

    Marion, I am glad you enjoyed my tanka.

    Great to see you here, too!

    Nu

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