MORNING
  NGUYEN ANH NONG

The sound of a trumpet woke me up
My hands and feet didn’t know what to do in the dark
A switch bursted out laughing
A pair of slippers sang the everlasting songs

I heard the rumbustious sound of young frogs
One… two… three… four… the stars were still up there
They were sleepy in the night sky
The young with their mouths still stained by milk
Decided to brave their difficult lives.

I was half sad, half happy with lights of moon and fans of wind
The dawn shone in my face and lips – a woken person
The fragant grass cleaned my undry and unwet feet
Suddenly a thought occurred as bright as the first sunlight
Made my flesh warm.