Top 20 Beautiful Poems by Teacher and Poet Nguyễn Thị Hồng Hà

YOU OWE ME.

You owe me

A promise to walk with me until the end of the road

You owe me an embrace on cold, lonely nights

You owe me a hasty kiss

You owe me the struggles we went through

Love me.

You owe me your fragility

You owe me the days spent beside you in happiness

You owe me the hardships

You owe me the protection and care.

You owe me your waiting

You owe me the passionate moments of our youth

You owe me a strong embrace

You owe me shared dinners and splitting household tasks.

You owe me the years that passed together

You owe me your mother’s love, your father’s worry

You owe me the nights spent teaching our child to study

You owe me the mornings of taking our child to school

You owe me the hardships of being a husband.

What else do you owe me?

Ha Nguyen.

WRITE - DON'T WRITE.

Write, my dear.

To express your feelings

The reflections on the busy life we lead

On what we gain and lose, what we win and lose.

On the sweet and bitter experiences you’ve had

On the long-gone days - the first steps we took.

What will you write?

About the love we once had

About the enchanting intoxication

About the meaning of life itself

About the struggles and challenges we face

The competition, the battles for what's right and wrong...

About the aching heart of a mother longing for her child

The tireless waiting of a wife who feels like stone

About the tough days full of hardship

About the innocent eyes of children in a poor neighborhood

Empty stomachs still dreaming of brighter skies

Late nights spent studying

Saving for the future...

Write about tomorrow

About the desires and hopes for a better world

Even though life is still full of struggles

Always

Knowing how to filter the bad from the good

And wishing for more...

Write with optimism in a naked world

Finding joy to rise above sorrow...

But don’t write anymore, my dear

Don’t sell your sadness to the world

Let go of your heart with your friends

Don’t push yourself to the limits of loneliness

Let go of the anger towards humanity

Forget the ever-changing storms of life...

Don’t be angry

Don’t be over-sensitive, don’t complicate things

Don’t dwell on love and hate

Forget the chaos of life, tired and seeking peace - life’s fate is in its hands.

In restless sleep

Write or not write???

Ha Nguyen.

THE PROMISE WITH LIM FESTIVAL.

"Do not return tonight

Folk songs of innocent love"

A sweet melody on the day of the festival

Hesitatingly pulling the traveler, staying or going.

Remember the vow from last year's festival

A spring night by the river, the boat drifting

Gentle voices, naive and tender

Melodious notes echoing across the water, the boat's edge

The vow, will you forget or remember?

We meet, but you stay and don't go

Do not let each other miss the bloom of spring

Do not let sorrow and silent tears take over.

On Lim Hill, the light rain falls

Raindrops pattering softly on the bamboo

Looking for someone with eyes that flutter

The past is gone, the wind blows through the old place.

In the quiet night, someone reminds me

It was promised, will you return?

Waiting for news from the distant mountains

Do not leave me in silence, breaking my heart.

Who said waiting brings happiness?

Waiting for someone tears apart the soul

The sky clears, the clouds part

Returning to the festival, with flowers glowing under the golden moon....

The Lim Festival, our promise!

Ha Nguyen.

WHY DON'T YOU COME BACK?

Sister is angry, do you know?

You promised to return in spring to visit me

But now spring has passed, and you're far away

Breaking your promise, just words on your lips.

Sister is angry, but it's only with myself

You are busy with the sails chasing the wind

Plum, peach, and roses, which garden opens its doors?

All gardens are full of fragrance and color.

You wander to the end of the road

Forgetting your promise to return and visit me

Have you ever gotten tired and stopped?

Will you return to me - to your homeland?

Sister is angry now, no longer needing your love

Does it feel normal without you at home?

Sister laughs and cries with life's ups and downs

All the joys and sorrows are hidden, do you feel it?

Sister is angry, especially when longing

The return seems too hard to achieve

Memories damp with time, drying in the wind

Every fragrance fades away with time.

Sister is angry because she knows that tomorrow

Your steps will still wander

Only wishing for your return, not anyone else

To sing together this spring.

Come back, don't stay away forever...!

Home is not just any place

When everything is traded for a price

Anger and life’s turmoil are nothing new.

Come back, sister is no longer angry.

Ha Nguyen.

REMINISCENCE OF MARCH.

In March

The red blossoms of the gaharu tree bloom in the sky

In March

People have already left, nowhere to be found

Remembering July, the rainy season

Waiting in vain by the door, the storm tearing everything apart

The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl of old

Every year, they still have a season to reunite.

In March

We bury the sorrow deep

Picking the gaharu flowers

Sewing the sadness in the fabric

Bringing back memories of days gone by

Drying the old days with threads of time.

Sadness falls in soft drops

Shared or alone, a tangled heart in pain.

March, oh March!

Wanting to cross the river but there's no bridge

Wanting to return to my mother, to hear words of kindness.

Wanting to gather gaharu flowers in the courtyard

Wanting to tilt my conical hat, my gaze sparkling.

Wanting to feel my heartbeat

Wanting to stand in the rain, fulfilling my old desires.

Waiting for the one who comes and the one who goes

March, I still wait

Alone, morning to night...

Where is the smile, the beautiful smile?

The sunset falls, leaving a love that is orphaned.

March of old, filled with sweet laughter

March today, tired lips curling in weariness.

I go to the rice fields to plant sweet potatoes

Startled by the sound of someone calling my name.

In March, sipping wine, remembering love...!

Poem by Ha Nguyen.

WRITTEN FOR THOSE FAR AWAY.

People say

Valentine

Is a day that symbolizes beautiful love

And wishes

For happiness and eternity

Couples exchange sweet candies

To balance the bitterness and sourness

Throughout the year.

Isn’t it true, my love?

Can there really be such a magical day?

I can’t make it in time for you

On Valentine’s Day.

I’ve never blamed life for being unfair

That keeps us apart...

We balance life not just with sweet candies

But with the bitter taste of sweat and hard work.

Fighting life together

To have more sweet days like this

Loving each other through the ups and downs

So there’s no chocolate for Valentine’s Day

But we remain devoted and remember each other.

Where is life headed?

When there’s no color in our feelings

But without empathy and true love

Could there be a happy love, my love?

I know there are times when you feel lonely and yearning

For my embrace and a kiss on Valentine’s Day

A simple wish that I just couldn’t

Bring to you in time.

.....!

Ha Nguyen.

THE FATE OF A LOVER.

"I blindly blindfold myself to love you,"

I tear my heart apart

Exposing my innermost self

I sacrifice my life

Betting it all on love.

"I blindly blindfold myself to love you,"

I transform myself into a foolish lover

Building castles of love

On a clumsy, careless relationship.

I

Naively believed in forever promises

Drunk in the intoxication of desire

Forgetting the pain of life’s misery

The fate of a lover.

I blindly use my mind without thinking of the cost

I turn myself into a moth to the flame – you – willingly

I give myself away – who can I blame?

I hold onto dreams of a future

You welcoming me home

So I

Forget the shame – lost in the eternal dream

Of

The lover's fate.

In the intoxication of love

I deactivate my mind – to let my heart think

The heart always remains the same – confused.

I never realized

You were the one

Using love as a commodity to sell

Human affection.

I wander lost in life

Clinging to excuses

Blaming myself for loving you.

Now, the grapefruit blooms in the lemon grove

Feeling regret....!

Ha Nguyen

PEACE.

If life were only shades of pink

If every road was flat and straight

If the sky was always clear

If this world was devoid of rainstorms

Would we still sing the song of happiness forever?

If the water were always clear and pure

Where would the river’s banks come from?

Everyone longs for deep love

But hearts are shallow like hastily folded betel leaves...

If everywhere you look, you see lies and deceit

"Quick fixes"

In life’s stage, the actors play their roles too well

Better than professional actors

Where can we cling to, to continue believing in love?

Until the end of the day

In life, who’s wise and who’s foolish?

If everyone wants to take more than their share

Who will be left with nothing?

If everyone feels exhausted

Who will carry the burdens of the world?

Then, I’ll bear the burden of many things

Not out of necessity but because I can’t ignore it

What do we know of reincarnation?

So in this life, I carry both sunshine and rain.

(No need to wait for another life)

In this life

I

Carry the bitter, sour end of the fierce summer heat

Carry the awkward, inexperienced love

Carry the road with twists and turns

Carry the fatigue, the restless dreams.

Life is not just made of sweet verses

That roll with the passing of days

Life

Is built from sweet, bitter, sour, salty, joy, and sorrow...

It’s these ups and downs of life

That teach us how to cherish love

From the simplest things.

Teach us to appreciate peace

Teach us to remember and forget

To cherish what we have

To forgive and let go

To find happiness hidden deep within sadness

To hide tears of jealousy and anger

To wait and to hope...

Waiting for the new day to bring peace!

Ha Nguyen.

FALL.

I let spring slip away

On a day at the start of summer

Let the leaves fall too soon

Before autumn had even come.

I let haste slip away

On a day of forgotten memories

Tears blurred the page

Startled by the moment of waking - drunk with emotions.

I let the days slip away

Frantically searching for answers

Igniting a thirst

As the winter winds began to blow.

I received the yellow leaf

Thinking autumn was still here.

Believing that the mustard flowers

Would forever stay with time.

I let the tardiness slip away

In a hasty promise

Let the lies slip away

From the tongue's end to the lips.

Let a smile slip away

When trust was already lost

Let sweet words slip away

After the truth of life revealed itself.

Let a person slip away

Along with love, drifting far

Leaving behind a heart in pain

Leaving a sad love story...

Let all love slip away

What do I have left?

Ha Nguyên.

GATHER.

I gather back my childhood

Through the laughter of children

I gather the lullabies of my mother

Fostering a heart full of compassion.

I gather a bit of winter sunshine

Igniting it into a flame

I gather the promises once made

Building them into trust.

I gather gentle glances

To build castles of love

I gather the days of wandering

Turning them into life lessons.

I gather the last rays of sunlight

To warm the winter day

I gather the songs you sing

From "First Spring".

I gather the emotions of the heart

From the smallest things

I gather the peace of daily life

Amid the storms of life.

I gather the aching memories

I gather the lingering sorrow

The one thing that lasts forever

Is love and care!

Ha Nguyen.

TOUCH.

"A gentle touch on the eyes

A soft brush on the lips"

You touched my heart

One stormy afternoon.

You touched the lies

When lost in ecstasy

You touched the vows

With another woman.

You touched the moment

When the heart was fragile

Touched by loneliness

As the soul wandered astray.

You touched betrayal

After a moment of weakness

Unable to touch the depth of the heart

With love in harmony.

When will you understand?

The touches in life

After fleeting moments

Where is true love?

And you lost

The chance to touch my heart....!

Ha Nguyen

HAPPINESS.

What is happiness?

We search for an answer

Struggling for so long, yet finding none

Until the day someone leaves forever...

Then we realize

Happiness is simple and humble

It's the smile of a child in a dream

It's the verse someone wrote for us

On a pale autumn afternoon

The one who left...

Happiness is the cold winter days

When a mother holds her child close

The sweat-drenched brow

Rushing through summer nights of struggle.

Happiness is every dawn

When we wake up

And find our loved ones there

Safe and sound.

Happiness is the moments we let our soul wander

Returning to cherished memories

The childhood that once was full and fleeting...

Happiness is those days

When we're together

Sharing a meal

Or when we foolishly let anger rise....

Happiness is woven

From the small, simple things

In the arms of our parents,

I search for happiness, but it's not far away...

Ha Nguyen

WINTER'S LONGING.

My dear!

Is there such a longing called winter?

It creeps into my heart on sunless days

The cold fills the

empty room

Why haven’t you come back?

Each 24-hour day stretches endlessly

As you wander off, far beyond the horizon

Without you

Spring stands still

Unable to change the season.

It seems

You’ve forgotten your promise to return

Forgot the rainy day when I walked alone

Forgot the quiet evening meals

Where I served myself...

And I helped myself.

Some emotions can't be named

There are personal feelings I need you to share

I am a woman

And I can’t always be strong

Fighting winter all alone.

Is there a longing called: I miss you!

Ha Nguyen

SEASONS THAT PASS.

Who has lived through the seasons of flowers?

Through the summer heat

The rainy days

The storms.

Who has lived through the sweet season

And the bitter one

The season of pain...

Who has lived through

Seasons without each other

Neither sad nor joyful

No tears

No promises

The silent season...

The season of forgetting!

Who has lived through the seasons that can't be named

Only a quiet heart listening to the whispers of the night

Loneliness to the fullest

Through all the turmoil...

Who has lived through such seasons

Only to know

When the spring wind comes

You must

Open the door and welcome

The season of peace!

Ha Nguyen

THE FEBRUARY DELAY.

Alas, I must delay my meeting with February.

The delay to greet you at the end of the mustard flower season.

The delay of youth, a time of youthful folly.

The delay in meeting myself, as I wander in dreams of the past.

Alas, I must delay my meeting with February.

The delay in the afternoon rain, once a memory.

The delay in keeping promises made:

"I will return when February comes:

You, in festive dress,

We will go together to the fair".

Alas, I must delay my meeting with February.

The delay of the plum branch in a garden full of morning mist.

The delay of my heart and a late promise.

The delay in sweet words of love, that never came to pass.

I delayed not taking you through the Mường village.

My love was shared in every song sung.

I delayed not dancing to the tune together.

Instead, my heart is lost in its melody.

I delayed as the February sun painted the earth with gold.

Still wandering, lost in the bustle of life.

The delay in returning,

to raise a glass of wine,

Drunken in its strength.

The month of February weakens...

When will I stop delaying?

Ha Nguyen

A FAREWELL TO YOU

We met when our hair had begun to turn, touched by the sun.

It wasn't the days of youth, when I was naive.

I let my soul wander, lost in a rainy night.

Love holds no blame.

"I will love you until eternity".

That vow, now hidden deep within memories.

The ache echoes back.

It's a restless night...

Don't blame each other.

Where are we headed, in the end?

At the universe's edge,

only love remains, though not enough.

Surpassing all worldly matters.

Don't torment yourself.

What we lost, let it be gone forever.

.......

Even if

The past no longer shines in green.

Still, my heart, when it remembers you,

holds on to that hue.

It's just that my heart longs...

As the hair turns gray.

No love ends without pain.

No one who loved has not wished to meet again.

But, my dear,

We are no longer forever.

If we happen to meet in the midday rain,

Or in the twilight's harsh sun.

But please, don't look back.

I will lull the past to sleep.

It will rest in peace.

Ha Nguyen.

COME BACK, PLEASE...!

Come back, my love!

Half a life spent drifting away.

Come back to me,

We will share meals together,

You won't have to wait anxiously every day

For a call or message from me to ease your heart.

Come back, my love!

We will have each other through thick and thin,

What more could I ask for?

I just want to be there for you when you're sick.

I won't wake up suddenly in the middle of the night,

Wondering if someone is calling my name.

It will only be the sound of the wind in the silence...

Come back, my love!

Our hair has lost its youthful sheen, no more waiting.

All those reckless years apart.

Just come back, my love.

"Why wander and tire this life so much?"

Who once sang this tune?

I don't want to hum it every day.

Just come back, my love!

Every morning when I wake up

I want you by my side,

My heart full of happiness.

Come back, my love!

I RETURN TO MY MOTHER.

Tonight, I return to my mother

To bury my heart in her hands

And listen to stories of the old days...

Back then, I was so innocent...

I would watch dragonflies flutter, thinking

They could carry dreams all the way to the sky.

I would call out, "Dragonfly, go with me..."!

I grew up

Through the endless rainy days and biting winds

Dreams shattering under the hills...

I stepped into life, tasting both sweet and bitter

Tears dampened my lips, salt on my skin

As I watched the dragonflies hover in the sunlight

Pitying the fate of mankind,

And I called again, "Dragonfly, go with me..."

The dragonflies rushed,

And answered, "How can you carry the burdens of mankind?

You must walk this path alone...

You're grown now, why still so naïve..."

I return to my mother

To find my childhood again

Wishing I could be as innocent as I once was

Hoping my heart could always be at peace like that

Watching the dragonflies trembling, unaware of human fate.

The clear sound of laughter, the sweet call, "Dragonfly, where are you!"

My mother looks at me, tears falling...

Ha Nguyen.

FINDING MYSELF AGAIN.

I find myself again on the spring meadows

As the young banyan trees start to sprout leaves

The children from days past are still catching crabs and snails

The fragrance of dried straw hides the memories of my childhood.

I find myself in the lullaby

The sound of my mother’s soothing voice on a hot summer afternoon

The rhythm of the hammock swaying me through hard times

My mother’s frail shoulders, restless with love for me.

I find myself on the worn-out path

Where my mother carried burdens – and my father took me to school

All of us walking, some crying

My father comforted me - "Stop crying, silly

Studying will help you become a person..."

I find myself in the youthful days

With dreams and passions that dared me to move forward

A stone for the foundation of a grand castle

Built on faith and dreams.

I find myself in the lights

In the glowing brilliance

Of my school notebooks

Recalling the days of summer rain

Never once thinking I would stumble

In the face of life's hardships...

I find myself in the quiet nights

Reflecting on life...

Ha Nguyen.

I HAVE NOTHING.

I am not the woman you crave

But I offer myself, wrapped in longing

To hide my heart in the warmth of their breath,

In a life filled with burdens.

I am not the only woman you’ve ever loved

You once wanted to bury your memories of me

In the scent of perfume - lost in the embrace

Sharing life's weight with you.

I am not the woman you once dreamed of

Stored in the archives of love

In the fading light of dusk

With hesitant kisses, mingled with tears

Shared between us.

I am not the woman who inspires endless poems

Who hears you sing of happiness and love

Even when it's too late...

I am not wealthy

To bring you fame and glory.

I am simply a woman with dignity

Who knows hope and optimism

Who loves you without concern for the past

And who forgives your moments of weakness in life

Who loves you, whether you smile or suffer...

I am the woman

Who knows only to wash clothes and cook meals

Who waits for you, with the sun setting at the doorstep

Who stays silent when necessary....

I am the woman who is content.

I don't have a bright, cheerful smile

Nor do I blame life for its bitterness

Nor do I play games

That would make you fall for me

Begging to hide in the gaze of my eyes.

All I want is to hold your hand and face life's storms with you

All I have

Is a sincere heart

To love you completely....

Ha Nguyen.