If you call tomorrow, I will believe
Wishing on stars is the only way to
Dream, that I was a light-footed boy again
Between the
Sea capt'n green of
Twisted trees,
Adventuring.
Consulting "treasure maps"
In our diaries,
Our hopes prayed for El Dorado,
And we kept to the path we wandered on, despite
Wishing for anyone to take us home.

If you want to build this house with me,
Oh, what a story--
This is how they will all remember:
Ours were the vines that weaved
Together and outgrew the
Shaky jungle that held us close inside,
Thank you for always kissing
My hand, when we swam in the clear waters
Of the Amazon Basin;
Our weightless silhouettes
Singing to the delicate birds
Making footprints
The shapes of crosses
In the sand.

Everyone would know:
The conquistadors came in search of
Gold, finding only where we
Promised our
Hearts to each other,
Giving our
Regrets away, before we even
Knew
What they were.



--Dan Pham

BUDDHIST  SOLDIER

Me lie,

under-

            stand

the redyelloworange

Saigon sky

trying to the Id(

ea) of war

            why God

            bomb the Buddha

;

Dukkha[1]:

 soul ache

  dwell within-

            side the Việt Cộng

progeny in-

            side the capital

factory in-

            side the two meal

rice,  in-

            side the raining petrol

jelly, in-

            side malnourished

puberty in-

            side massacre

                        extinction

,

Samudaya[2]:

 being hurt

            that we are clingful to

is physical

            pleasure &

            despite the family

            dead in Mỹ Lai, there is

desire

            despite the corpses,

life     slavery

,

Nirodha[3]:

 life grief

            equal chains—

lust and execution

weigh down the same—

            reliance on the senses.

            To stop

                        the life

            hurt,

            give up the crave-

be

-ing

,

Marga[4]:

 soul peace

            attained

(not by

acceptance of

            scripture death, nor

human ache of

            tradition hurt, nor

life grief of

            pre-conceived

            person just)

but accept self know-

            ledge, where there is

right

            view,    action,    effort,    intention,    speech,

            livelihood,      mindfulness,    concentration

being, whose

            attainment

conduce well-

            ness and hap-pi-ness

then one

            life acting

            accordingly

…

            And yet there is no entering

Nirvana

            for Buddhist soldiers—

                                    the bodhisattva,

                        pouring gasoline

                        on their bodies, and lighting up

            aflame

under the Saigon

                        sun,

            I’m trying to under-

                                                            stand