Top 20 Selected Poems by Poet Trần Thị Kim Giang

Poem by Hương Tràm

Understanding the hearts of those far away

Nostalgia surges through each passing day

I left my homeland to come to this place

Carrying words to sow seeds and embrace

I've endured scorching days under the sun

And trudged through muddy paths when the rain had begun

Dust clinging to me on the long road home

Through fields of green, where crops freely roam

Like the steadfast faith within me, enduring and strong

The bitter days of the past are now gone

I find joy in the embrace of your arms, tight and true

Wherever I am, I hold onto my roots, imbued

With the warmth of home, though miles apart

Through hardships, we clasp each other's hand

Ensuring happiness fills our love's endless span.

June 2015

Poem by Hương Tràm

Dedicated to Mother

Mother, like a faithful bank along the river

Finding nourishment for her children, pure and sweet

For years, mother has endured life's ups and downs

In sun and rain, by fields and gardens

We were born beside her

Like tender shoots breaking through the soil

On branches, by stems, steadfast, my mother!

We grew up beside her

Like seeds in the fields of our homeland

That sprouted and grew beyond their shells

We matured beside her

Our lifeblood pulsing, our youth

Always warmed in mother's embrace, oh mother!

Mother!

Out there

In lush green fields

Where rice stalks stand tall with milk-filled grains

In orchards brimming with fruit trees

With sapodilla heavy on the branches

And the fragrant scent of longans, like a mother's love!

Nurturing our hopes for a bright future

And a mother's heart, giving us fairy tale dreams!

My dear mother!

On the day I leave your tender embrace

I carry with me the scent of our homeland

And in my luggage, I carry your love and image

Nurturing sweet aspirations for me

For today, for tomorrow, and always…

After years

I return

Your image within me

With boundless love

That time cannot fade

The orchard still thrives

The fields still golden with the grains of our ancient land

I return

Passing through the embankments

As if stepping through each stage of my life

Rough and filled with uncertainties

You await me with open arms

And shelter me

In your eyes, shines happiness.

I see the silent sacrifices

In the silver strands of your hair

I see the quiet joys

In your deeply etched gaze

And the stoic endurance

In your weary form, oh mother!

Like the image of a stork in a fairy tale dream…

August 2012

Poetry by Hương Tràm

Just a hand's reach away

Is all it takes

To touch each other

You and I

Don't do that

An invisible gap

Between our hearts

Even though love burns

With longing

Amidst life's hustle

We are truly apart

Our home, just a few square meters

A solitary room

You used to complain about the tightness

Now

Alone. And the night

So turbulent

And so terribly lonely.

Cold rain

Drapes outside the window

You cry

Longing for the warmth of days gone by

Now it's just me

Sleep

Spreads out vast and wide

Trying to reach

With arms outstretched

You seem to have

Forgotten

The old pain

Still quietly

Aching in the heart

Being apart

Where's the happiness sought

Just a hand's reach away

Yet a lifetime untouched!

October 2015

Poetry by Hương Tràm

Golden sunlight hides in the clouds
Wind tosses the clouds, thunder sets the stage

Rain pours down on me
Crying and laughing boundlessly.

Which sorrow bends and sways
Sinking into the subconscious for so long
Drizzling rain touches life's wounds
Cutting into memories of a careless time.

We love ourselves through the years
Trust sent to the wandering heart straying off the path
Life pities life in the transient realm
As if the realm of dreams still lingers in the day.

Raindrops touch the corners of eyes, stinging
Mistaking it for longing, waiting eagerly
Jolting amidst the winding path
A heart burning, moss-covered, lost.

You bring laughter and tears to your eyes
Each time the rain comes, fearing storms
Touching the vast realm with your hand
Cutting into the depths of vacant eyes, desolate.

Suddenly afraid of crossing rain
Touching the realm of timeless truth, wavering.

May 2018

Poetry by Hương Tràm

Silence. Listening to her tale...
Tears rolling, unable to cease
This mood, not belonging to anyone
The Teacher - in the role of homeroom teacher

Some moments become memories
Some silent gaps in life extinguish joy
Each word once bold within me
Now dissipates. Emotions in disarray

Students, sometimes, in moments
Playful, mischievous... in moments of leisure
Some days just mischief reigns
Oh, the innocence of the purple years

Oh, the memories of yesteryears!
Back in school, how to retrieve: Yesterday?
Teachers also once carried books
Once admired Phoenix, pondered

Heavy-hearted, footsteps hesitant
Longing to pour out all thoughts: Educators
Teachers, together, teaching and guiding
Molding poetry in me: The way of being human

New day dawns, warmth of the sun
Letting go of anger, love deepens forever
Tomorrow, in poetry: heading towards that direction
Packing firm with unwavering faith

Words of hurt like nails
Piercing the heart, losing friendship
The heart for altruism to reside
And love to dwell for a lifetime

This month's rain, falling in haste
Or tears falling bitter on me
The Phoenix stands silently now singing
Enveloping the soul with cooling love

November 2016

Poetry by Hương Tràm

... which way does the evening tilt for the sunlit clouds to sigh?
for the wavering heart
a swaying melody
then tired, longing to rest
does anyone
care to grant me
a warranty just to renew the heart

what's the use of renewal anyway
like death burying the silver hues of memories
after the warranty is fulfilled
is the turmoil meant to cease
when in life, one only has a single heart

outside, each day's life intricacies thicken
faces laughing, crying traverse the luminous night
observing the artificiality, contemplating existence
wishing for a heart's warranty to seek out joyous years

for a single warranty, just once
amidst life's demand for staged laughter and tears
to once let the heart simmer normally
longing for life not to feign, but to love

Stranger... do you know where to grant a heart's warranty? Just show me
March 2018

Poetry by Hương Tràm

... a thousand words spoken
fall short of being understood once
a thousand cries shed
remain unheeded
and become nothingness

though the pain
has been tightly contained within
and the wounds
inflicted in myriad ways
the gap of those days of misunderstanding
stings like a sky of unheld affection...
Mỹ Tho, 29/3/2018

Poetry by Hương Tràm

Every time I see a yellow leaf fall
I suddenly yearn for a new peaceful life
The golden dawn beckons each other cheerfully
Away from the vastness of weariness.

Every time I see a leaf flutter by
There's a strange thought of wandering a hundred paths
Naive hands demand many deceptions
Learning to fake a smile, playful and teasing.

Every time I see a yellow leaf fall
I'm reminded of the time I once had
Those nurturing embraces, holding on tight to tiny dreams
Wolves' eyes peering into deep caves.

Every time I see the golden leaf drifting down
Crafty ones twist a hundred tales of infamy
A feast of competition, swallowing every last bite
Nonchalantly craving for a mouthful yet untasted.

Every time I see the defiant golden leaf
My heart shivers amidst a hundred thousand drops of sunlight
Pain carves through life like a swarm of ants
A cold heart gazes at the stormy fate.

As autumn arrives, the forest of leaves vast and boundless
I ponder if life truly exists or not
A new day beckons... the tales of life big and small
Calmly, life goes on, sometimes existing, sometimes not.
Mỹ Tho, 21.8.2018

Poetry by Hương Tràm

When someone picks a lotus petal from the sand
Hearing the salty whispers, tasting the sourness of salt
A hint of love wafts through, carrying a faint scent
Youth blooms, your smile just blossomed.

The youthful smile now grown
The fields play with the sun's anger and the rain's jealousy
_ Have you ever watched the lotus flower?
The wild flower amidst enduring rain and sun?

_ There are days under the oil-laden sky
You check the debts of the boundless realm...

You owe them... the emotions deeply felt
Feelings gradually compressed into a gemstone heart

They are noisy, you silent and proud
Burning inside... just like that, it passes by.

You owe them... the farewell words at times
They speak love that you feel
You sleep through motionless sorrows
The autumn faintly praises the passing days.

You owe your child the warmth of your embrace
You're incomplete, not fulfilling both sides
Days as a mother return with weariness
Days as a father, amid countless dreams.

You owe your parents a complete poem
Writing happiness hesitantly outside the window
You, alone, in a corner with a blurred view
Observing the hollows in your aging skin.

You owe a hundred years of footsteps in your hometown alley
Next to the old school, a day full of promises
There are uncertainties no one knows
Owing the harvested grains in a changing season.

You owe yourself the youthful days of old
Owe the bittersweet delicacy just living
You owe yourself the days of wandering
Nurturing a child while tallying childhood debts.

The duration of love lost is unclear
You owe endlessly the shores of distance!

Mỹ Tho,18.9.2018

Poetry by Hương Tràm

Not sure since when
No man in the house
Just a woman
And her two children
Quietly walking away.

They guide each other
Through sleepy breakfasts
Through restless nights
In rain
Or shine.

Swift mornings
They return home
Bustling with joy
Brimming with laughter
Ignoring the countless jests outside.

The son
Now grown
Knows how to share burdens
Knows to bear the toil of life.

The daughter
Now peaceful and healthy

Lives with mother and brother in humble meals

But full of deep affection.

The woman
Still hustling for livelihood
Life's ups and downs
Yet each passing day brings
Simple, innocent smiles of her child

The woman traverses youth
Pouring all her love into her two children
Amidst the wear and tear of life
Yet walks calmly through life.

Amidst the tears shed
Amidst sleepless nights
Amidst loneliness day and night
Amidst fleeting memories
Being beside her child is the only peace.

July 2019

Poetry by Hương Tràm

Child, weary now, lean on Dad's shoulder
Like when you were little, crying your heart out
Dad led you to school, guiding each step
Mother taught you life's lessons every day.

You left the village seeking a future
Naively buying days, mistaking them for eternity
Youth bestowed love, now faded
Only in failure did you truly realize...

Seeing you as a child, Dad feels even more pity
Wearing worn clothes, the weight of the family on his shoulders
Dad remains steadfast as ever
How could one abandon family after just a few words?

The one who left, does he remember deep affection?
Does he remember the warmth of home once had?
You silently carry the debt on your small shoulders
Leaning on Dad, recounting life's tales.

Your naive heart, bitter now, Dad
Every trace seems so distant
Every touch stings deep wounds
Wherever touched, tears well up.

Poetry by Hương Tràm

I sketch amidst a myriad of thoughts
A daughter whispers, asking: 'Where's Dad?'

Then turning away, I answer myself:
'Dad's with someone else, not coming back to us'
Within me, countless wounds
Every touch brings only half of love.

The son remains silent amidst the afternoon
Without Dad, a hundred thoughts arise
Simple questions from the child, answered illogically by the mother
Hearing my heart whimper amidst the winter chill.

The biting wind chills my heart
Church bells echo with memories of uncertainty
Christmas Eve shrouded in wishes
Wishing life wasn't orphaned in its youth.

Oh, church, Christmas rings in every hour
Amidst vastness, I'm left wandering
Tomorrow, Spring will joyfully arrive
When will I ever find laughter?

What must be done so children aren't orphaned?
No illogical answers remain.

The child asks innocently
The mother's heart runs dry

Lost in the evening, lost in youth.

Poetry by Hương Tràm

Morning breeze carries faint fragrance
Winter sun stands at the doorstep
Homesickness falls silently
Aching to return to mother's peaceful land.

Gentle wind sways the durian flowers
Awakening memories of a tranquil childhood
Recalling bustling autumn harvest days
Bringing freshly found happiness to light.

I remember fragrant summer days amidst rice fields
Dreaming of expansive skies
Wind almost knocks me down
Thankfully, mother's love cushions the fall.

I recall days of tears and toil
Steadily treading through the fields
Unnamed longing for mother, for father
I will return to reclaim those days.

The scent of durian brings back memories of mother
Its sweet taste lingers on young lips
Promise of spring, returning to mother's side
Nurturing dreams after the fragrant summer.

T.G, 30/11/2018

Poetry by Hương Tràm

The eagle dreams of soaring the sky
Leaving the small village, crossing green forests and mountains
Learning to fly with its wings, playing with the days
But eventually returns to the ground to find food

One day, while frolicking around
It meets a cicada shedding its old skin
The eagle, with a bewildered look
Admires the cicada, feeling lost for itself

They join hands for a journey
Seeking the meaning of life in the present
Encounter a snail wandering in a realm of dreams
A crab hidden in its wide shell

Storms sweep back to the small village, making it tremble
Nature also groans, rain begins to cry
Three of them trudge on a long, arduous journey
Taking refuge from the storm in the forest's hollow

The sun rises, casting its rays amidst the dawn
Painting the forest white with friendship

The mountain deity loves the crab like a hermit
Wants the young eagle to spread its wings!

Watching the cicada wave its wings stronger
Dancing joyfully, softly singing in the changing season
Amidst a sea of purple flowers
The orchid branches sway, awaiting fate

The mountain opens its arms, welcoming the divine appointment
Ant, crab, eagle embrace the midday dream
The tree hollow acts like a swinging hammock
Lulling the earnest dream, both fairy tale and reality...

Waterfalls twist and turn, entangled with beetles
The smell of decay covers even the mountain god's nose
The tree hollow now has no room to shelter
They squeeze in during times of decline

The beetle makes the crab cry
Not understanding the hardships of its own shell
Life's trials, like wind and rain
Teach wisdom, knowing what's lost

The beetle angers the cicada more
Not understanding the lifetime struggles
Over a decade of soil nurturing
A character forged in the crucible of living

The eagle also spreads its wide wings
Wanting to soar in the sky, fulfilling years of dreams
But it also silently looks at the distant clouds and smoke
Watching the beetle, shedding tears quietly

The beetle sleeps arrogantly, oblivious
Despite the laughter around, still seeking joy
The mountain god throws the tree hollow, bowing in respect
Huddled with hesitant feet, sitting timidly

Oh mountains and forests, the bright dawn calls out!
The sun rises, illuminating our paths
With steadfast faith, what is there to fear?
In the season of challenges, hold on to happiness

The river has its bends, people have their moments
Like the tree hollow and all beings crossing hurdles
When vast like the sea, limitless like the ocean
Thinking limits the vastness, life narrows

The sun will rise, painting the day beautifully
Like the orchid singing amidst the mountains and forests
The eagle, cicada, crab all dance in celebration
Oh beetle, join the ensemble and harmonize!

Life has its days of beauty and ugliness
With humanity, there are both highs and lows
This life of dust and sand will eventually return
Let's cherish and treasure the days we live!

Life isn't just a dream, it's the realm of reality
Knowing to live is to survive eternally
Smile, and life will be happier
Thank you life, for every morning we awaken...!

Mỹ Tho, 7.5.2018

Poetry by Hương Tràm

The sky drizzles
with faint memories
The wind whispers
its trembling breaths
The alleyway stands
in hopeful anticipation
On this stormy day
rain chills amidst emptiness

I send you
a bit of winter warmth
To warm the season of longing
those days gone by
Where you are
is there still the scent of milk flowers
Sending to me
a half of renewed affection

Yesterday
there was still a sweet melody
Lulling us to sleep
with lips ripe
Yesterday
the heart was probably still attached
So as winter approaches
life carries many calculations

On stormy mornings
the tangled mess dissipates
Rain whispers
flooding the path of memories
Hearts yearning
recall each other with tears
I send you
the murmurs of the wind going

A morning of hesitation
ends the entire winter

Poetry by Hương Tràm

I sit alone huddling by the river
The vast Tiền Giang flows boats sailing
A gentle breeze brings winter back
Despite the cold, Christmas approaches warmly.

I remember welcoming a stranger to play
That noon the sky burned hot with blue clouds
The sediment flows towards the open sea
As tradition dictates, the river meanders.

I gaze into the vastness of longing
A silhouette embedded in the past
Yesterday's forgotten once again
Yet it cuts deep like a knife in the heart.

How naive youth fails to grasp depth
Are those intense emotions truly real?
Touch anywhere, the heart bleeds
Years past still cling within.

The cold wind, the river's restless season
I remain myself amidst years of waiting
A constant love never ceases
Like the Tiền Giang, tirelessly flowing.

A moment of unease, sudden longing falls
Is it tears or the sun raining down?
Cutting clearly into the heart
The Tiền River bears a sorrowful scar.

Those who leave, those who stay must let go
For if the past returns to normalcy
Today will not be foolish
To exchange emotions for pain.

The waves of the Tiền River lap gently
I hear my heart murmuring longing
Is there peace without disturbance
As I long for the windy season. You return.

Poetry by Hương Tràm

November turns, calling the chilly breeze
Each step counts, reminiscing days of chalk and powder
In my eyes, a vast azure sky
A tender spring eagerly welcomes the pinkish sunlight.

Sometimes, amidst emptiness, I feel
Sneaking under the midnight moon in the 'endless field'
The betel nut trees endure seasons of rain and shine
Rice stalks struggle, nurturing blooming ears.

Sometimes, a cramped desire to leave the city and farm
Release kites to freedom. To cultivate, longing
Laughter rises from the vast fields
A season nurtures seeds from joyful songs.

Or leave the blackboard to plow with mother and father
Till the soil to plant flowers, eggplants, and water spinach
Every evening, resting at the edge of the field
A kitchen group adds red charcoal smoke to the clouds.

We recognize ourselves in the pungent smoke
Recalling the fading chalk dust, fluttering like moths
Is it dew that turns gray hair, fading strands?
Or rain, or tears, in fluctuating tides?

Then melancholy returns, counting months and years
Gathering the seeds of youthful fervor
Sketching our souls into immortal statues
Lulling our lives tenderly: a melody of conscience!

Harvesting dew drops amidst the ups and downs
We repaint our bruised hearts
Ignite ourselves to ignite our dreams
So we forget the crampedness, stepping steadfastly forward.

Poetry by Hương Tràm

In the winter night, who passes through the land of longing
Let me borrow arms to embrace and breath
Warming the heart full of scratches

Supposedly happiness, yet...
Poetry remains neglected
So many transient things, unfamiliar

Winter cold cuts the skin
Alone I stand on the old road, hurriedly
Searching for a familiar smile in all of life

Where are you among the crowd
I bewitch, sway, or at the end of the tilted sky
Yet, I tirelessly seek the subconscious, overgrown with moss

Where are you, I ask all afternoon
Ask morning, ask night, ask foolish things
Seeking the beloved amidst wilderness of thoughts

The thick winter night, the sky pours rain
Making it chilly amidst winter of memories
I laugh and cry in the biting cold...

Mỹ Tho, 21/12/2017

Poetry by Hương Tràm

(written for the emptiness of the heart)

All of a sudden, a lost cicada's chirp
Struggling, memories seek back to childhood

Morning with the letter 'i', the sheet
Noon brings peeling, carrying loads, slapping ditties

The noisy duck flock runs in the field
Playfully as if reluctant to return

Afternoon sunlight shines by the dyke
Home kitchen smoke beckons, mother waits

The soldier crab scurries arrogantly
You pass the shop door, no laughter

Turns out... the tale of three

Oh, heavens, the male crab deceives wife and children!

Oh, there's a pleading sound
Amidst the rice field, a moan is heard
Approaching, you ask age and name
The cicada sheds its shell, content at day's end

In the wind's sound, both
Merge into a mesmerizing song, lost in the path
Summer evening harmonizes
Calling each other hoarsely, missing half already

Where does the wind drive smoke incessantly
Clouds divide, forever halfway, it rains
Time opens a gap, just enough
For you to escape, taking shelter from rain in the field

You seem lost in nothingness
Running to find cicadas in the rice field
Childhood memories gently rocked
A dream world ignites turbulent emotions

Mỹ Tho, 19.4.2018

Poetry by Hương Tràm

Do you hear it? The autumn breeze chucklesGolden leaves falling, drifting down absentmindedlyThinking of you again, recalling your smileRemembering the tea brewed sweet with your words.We sit quietly, cigarette butts scenting the silenceLonging for the embrace in quiet waitingWe dropped love on two divergent pathsI ran out of words. You pursued livelihood.Can we meet on the path of destinyTo be close every dawn at sunriseThe tender kiss on our lips so sweetA tight embrace for all the months and years.Can we grasp the distant gapGathering all sunlight to warm usA humble home but with deep affectionBeside our joyful children for a hundred years.One autumn morning, leaves no longer vivid greenYellowing falls in a fragile voidThe wind whispers throughout the faint autumnWe're apart but still bear the debt of affection. T.G, 6.8.2019