Short Vietnamese Poems

I knew you don't go in,
     But I wasn't coming out.
          When you're a fish in the fish bowl
     Going belly up....

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A language that tied me in knots was Chinese
  Oh, and another tongue-twister was Japanese

But the toughest of them all was Vietnamese
  ~ Until I got waylaid by American knees...

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   Nguyen was quite a linguist
     She spoke
       Chinese
       Japanese
       Taiwanese
       Vietnamese &
       Cantonese
    But not Americanese ~
    Couldn't bling helserf to say 'Prease'
...

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Red and green
Rojo y verde
Christmas…. The pirate way.

Verde y oro
Green and gold
We’re strong and brave and bold.

Seasons Greetings!
Feliz Navidad!
Maligayang Pasko! (Filipino)
Giáng Sinh Vui V? (Vietnamese)
Happy Holidays!
We wish you today,
Merry Christmas … the pirate way!...

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Did you hear the Lon Tan Cross is home!
The 521 Australian fallen are honoured
From a Vietnam War so unpopular
Hail the men of the D Company 6 RAR
Who fought the Vietnamese in the rain
In a rubber plantation so out numbered
And those who died with their faces to the foe 
Did you hear Long Tan Cross is home!

© Paul Warren Poetry...

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I once met a Vietnamese girl
Whose weak English put head in a whirl...
Said, “Though love you I can,
Belong Chocolate Man,”
And I knew that I’d found a rare pearl.

Brian Johnston
May 10, 2015

Poet's Note:
I don't think I've ever seen a limerick more dense, more true, or more beautiful than what you have just read. If you are not smitten right away, give it some time, perhaps read it again tomorrow!...

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she says she is tired
she says
...things are not going so
well
she says
she can't hang her paintings
cause
the space isn't
right
she says
...things are not
going
not going so
well
i light a single stick
cheap
chinatown
incense
it worked in the 15 by 15 foot
buddhist temple
red
by the 
freeway
for my
son
snuggling on my chest
my room is 15 by 15 foot
i
wonder if
it will work
as
well...

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I'm 62, my young Vietnamese wife is 31 now,
she's dark, beautiful and looks after me:
we're in love, thing is, she loves to jive, morning,
noon and night

it sometimes gets tricky to keep up with her 
demands, for example when making a video call
or taking to neighbours across the hedge

the other day she gave me that look, you know... 
the one they do when they want something real bad,
and I turned, my hands full of words saying, OK then...alright...

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