POEMS

 

WHO AM I?             (HIEN NGUYEN)

 

My Lord,

Who am I?

Who am I for you to remember?

Who am I for you to seek?

You followed me closely with your eyes.

In the infinite universe,

In the high sky and the wide sea,

And in the various ways of life,

My Lord,

Who am I for you to meet?

To make of me a near and dear friend?

Who am I for you to forgive and wait?

Many times in my life,

I wander and fumble in the darkness,

As an aimless vagabond,

And obstinate in my ways.

But you always wait for me patiently.

My Lord,

Who am I?

Who am I for you to wash my feet?

You bowed down so that I can hold my head high.

You were stained so that I could be pure.

You became a dedicated slave and I became a distinguished guest.

Who am I for you to sacrifice?

You died so that I can live forever,

Chained so that I live in freedom,

Became poor so that I might become rich.

My lord,

Who am I, and who are you?

The Lord answered,

You are a human being,

A boat in the immense ocean,

You are not wrong, but you need me.

Without the helmsman the boat will drift.

The boat cannot seek its owner.

That is why I am seeking you,

Calling into your life,

And waiting for you day and night.

My Lord, I understand.

Come into my boat.

My Lord.

 

 

WHO ARE YOU?        

I open my heart,

gather up my thoughts,

and strain my eyes

to comprehend you.

But I still do not understand you.

My Lord, Who are you?

Who are you in this world?

Are you a great King, a nobleman?

Or only an infant in the manger?

Why did the well-known scholars bow down and worship you,

while the mediocre soldiers mistreated you?

Are you a rich man, who always dispenses,

Or a poor man often dependent on someone else?

Is your house an imperial palace in the heaven,

Or only a deserted sheepfold?

You can command the waves to be quiet,

Or were your arms bound as a criminal?

Are you the happiest man everyone dreams of,

Or a miserable One?

Are you the precious cornerstone,

Or only a stone that causes human being to stumble?

Are you the Prince of Peace people are expecting,

Or only a specter comes to bring a sword and fright?

Are you the great Master or only a servant of people?

The Savior or only a culprit?

The God or only a human being?

Who are you?

Who are you, my Lord?

In my deepest heart The Lord answered,

I am everyone.

A king becomes a civilian.

The rich become the poor,

The stone the builders rejected,

A “frightful ghost” to unbelievers,

But the prince of peace to those who trust in me. 

Today you meet me as a baby in the manger,

But tomorrow as a king.

Today you see me as a criminal,

But tomorrow as a judge.

Today I am the stranger to you,

Tomorrow the intimate friend.

I am today and tomorrow,

As a whole.

It is up to you!

09/22/2006              HIEN NGUYEN

 

A PAIR OF SHOES                              

You and I were like a pair of shoes.

God made us to stay close together.

In the life, your shoe stepped forward,

Mine always followed it.

We were always alongside each other.

And sharing everything.

Anywhere or anytime

On the green grassplots, or on muddy roads.

On sunny or rainy days,

At the glorious tops or in the miserable valleys.

Our life would seem insignificant,

If one day we were separated!

A shoe could not go alone,

It would feel lonely and bleak.

It must limp to find the lost.

My shoe, where are you now?

If you stay close together to another shoe, you will not match!

Come back to me now.

We always will be a pretty pair.

In our life we will shed light for time and for eternity.

HIEN, NGUYEN

 

SEA AND SEAWEED

 

You are the sea

I am seaweed.

I do not want to depart from you any time.

Though the sea is immense,

Full waves and wind.

And every thing could come up as a thunderclap.

Anywhere the seawater is, the seaweed is!

On the sunny or cloudy days,

The seaweed and the sea water are always together.

When the sea waves bubble up with waves

The seaweed always coils with it.

Sometimes waves push seaweed to the beach.

It stretches out on beach,

Being withered, and waiting for great waves

To bring the withered seaweed back to the sea.

If great waves can not come

I am willing to wait for you forever!

Come with me,

We are one in this world,

Now and forever.

 

I WAIT FOR YOU

I long for you as a kite longs for wind.

I wait for you as strangers wait for a boat.

I am waiting for you though life changes, and

The sky is covered with clouds.

I’ll always wait for you.

The kite wants to fly but there’s no wind.

The man comes back but the boat is distant.

The kite will fly even in light wind.

The man is glad if the boat comes into sight.

Where are you now in the wide world?

My heart’s wandering in reverie.

Do you still wait for me or not?

Don’t let me live in suffering.

The kite wants to fly but the string was cut.

The man comes but the boat is leaving.

I am longing for the mystery.

I am waiting to see you again.

I long for the string to be joined again.

The boat will soon come back.

Our love will be perfect.

Yes, I love you with all my honest heart.

I am waiting for you to come again.

I’ll just have to wait ‘til you come again.

I am waiting for you to come again.

HIEN NGUYEN