What Mother told me once (i)

From poet Phùng Quán and translator Huỳnh Sanh Thông

I lost my father when I was just two.

“My son, before he closed his eyes, your father said that all through life you should remain sincere and true.”

“Mother, what does it mean, to be sincere and true?”

“My son, a man sincere and true will laugh when, glad, he wants to laugh, will cry when, sad, he wants to cry. If you love someone, say you love. If you hate someone, say you hate.”

Viet Nam letters respects the property of others under paragraph 107 of United States Code Title 17. If we asked for permission it wouldn’t be criticism. We explain our fair use at length in the letter of September 12, 2022.

The colophon of these Viet Nam letters, directly above, shows the janitor speaking with poet David A. Willson on a Veterans Day.