When You Hate Yourself for Revisiting Old Wounds

You revisit old wounds for the same reason
birds will come back to the places
their nests have been destroyed
The mind walks into the same room
because it wants to know how to fix
those floorboards, paint the walls,
turn this into a more habitable place
if it tries something different from the last time.
This is survival.
This is learning how to live through pain
once the skeletons have decided to walk out
of the closet and refuse to go back in again.
Call it the worst story you have ever owned,
a car crash within your bones
that you cannot stop staring at.
But the only way to understand pain
is to look at it and feel it
without turning away.
There is no shame in this.
Eventually, it will scab over and heal.

Nikita Gill

yesterday & today

yesterday was wonderful
everything is new now
neighbors, house
i feel comfortable here
one step at a time
i find my way (sometimes)
the rest of the time is just learning
my morning routine?
wake up, go for my coffee, and
write in pencil on paper
today i wrote this
different from english
surely i will make a mistake
but that’s okay too
this is unusual, trying to
write vietnamese
i like it very much
patience
thank you, v

dipika kohli

Tired

I am so tired of waiting,
Aren’t you,
For the world to become good
And beautiful and kind?
Let us take a knife
And cut the world in two—
And see what worms are eating
At the rind.

Langston Hughes

Tiếng Việt

Thụy Anh

Lên cao là dấu sắc
Lúc lắc
Lúc lắc

Bè trầm là dấu huyền
Dịu hiền
Dịu hiền

Băn khoăn là dấu hỏi
Mệt mỏi
Mệt mỏi

Trúc trắc là dấu ngã
Vội vã
Vội vã

Buồn thiu là dấu nặng
Im lặng
Im lặng

Tiếng gì mà hay thế
Như là một trò chơi?
Em xóa những con dấu
Đọc được một từ “Vui…”

Vietnamese Sounds

Translated by Donny Trương

Rising is the acute
Shaking
Shaking

Descending is the grave
Tender
Tender

Anxious is the hook above
Weary
Weary

Abrupted is the tilde
Rush
Rush

Sad is the underdot
Silent
Silent

What are those wonderful tones
That sounded like a game?
When removed all the marks
I read the word “happiness.”

Tặng bạn

Bạn biết chăng cuộc đời đầy đau khổ?
Bởi con người mãi gieo rắc hận thù.
Gây đau thương, gây tang tóc, ngục tù,
Rốt cuộc chỉ còn là cơn ác mộng.

Nào lợi danh, nào tài sắc,
Từ xa nhìn chúng óng ánh lung linh.
Bọn mình đua nhau, tranh giành đuổi bắt,
Nắm được rồi, nhìn lại chỉ tay không.
Chúng vốn là, những chùm bọt trên sông,
Còn chi đâu, chỉ toi công nhọc sức.

Trời trong, mây trắng, gió mát, trăng thanh,
Vườn cây xanh rờn, khóm hoa cười mỉm.
Nhạc dế nhẹ nhàng, giọng chim thành thót,
Chính nơi này, đã hiện rõ chân nhân.
Hận ngàn năm đều tan nát trong mơ,
Đâu còn nữa những khổ đau buổi trước.

Muốn thấy nó, bạn đừng theo vọng tưởng,
Niệm lăng xăng chìm lắng biển thanh bình.
Đến đây rồi, hạnh phúc khó thưa trình,
Chỉ xem thấy, nụ cười luôn hé nở.

Hòa thượng Thích Thanh Từ

Rain

Woke up this morning with
a terrific urge to lie in bed all day
and read. Fought against it for a minute.

Then looked out the window at the rain.
And gave over. Put myself entirely
in the keep of this rainy morning.

Would I live my life over again?
Make the same unforgiveable mistakes?
Yes, given half a chance. Yes.

Raymond Carver

Dear Mama

Pour out some liquor and I reminisce
’Cause through the drama I can always depend on my mama
And when it seems that I’m hopeless
You say the words that can get me back in focus.

When I was sick as a little kid
To keep me happy there’s no limit to the things you did
And all my childhood memories
Are full of all the sweet things you did for me
And even though I act crazy
I gotta thank the Lord that you made me.

There are no words that can express how I feel
You never kept a secret, always stayed real
And I appreciate how you raised me
And all the extra love that you gave me.

2pac Shakur (an excerpt from “Dear Mama”)

Today we went to a Bangkok 54 for the first time and I ordered its Mai Tai, which came with a flame. Looking at the glass of cocktail made me reminisce of my mother who would turn 85 today if she was still alive. Thinking of my mother immediately brought me to 2pac’s classic “Dear Mama.” The lyrics still burned in my brain. I made a YouTube Short. Happy birthday, mama!

Appalled

How should I begin this? I’m just so offended
How am I even mentioned by all these fuckin’ beginners?
I’m so appalled, I might buy the mall
Just to show niggas how much more I have in store
I’m fresher than you all, so I don’t have to pause
All of y’all can suck my balls through my drawers
Dark Knight feeling, die and be a hero
Or live long enough to see yourself become a villain
I went from the favorite to the most hated
But would you rather be underpaid or overrated?
Moral victories is for minor league coaches
And Ye already told you we major, you cockroaches
Show me where the boats is, Ferrari Testarossas
And Hammer went broke so you know I’m more focused
I lost thirty mil’, so I spent another thirty
’Cause unlike Hammer, thirty million can’t hurt me
Fuckin’ insane, the fuck am I saying?
Not only am I fly, I’m fuckin’ not playing
All these little bitches too big for they britches
Burning they little bridges, fuckin’ ridiculous

JAY-Z (an excerpt from “So Appalled”)

I have been re-listening to Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. “Monster” is so sick and energetic that it dominated the next track. What turned me off on “So Appalled” was Swizz Beatz’s hook, but then JAY-Z contributed such a hard verse on it that I like to quote it in full.

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