Travel Poems - Vietnam Verse
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| Read, write, coffee - and carrot cake @MiaCoffee, Hoi An |
We can also bring back poetry. I have just enjoyed three weeks travelling through Vietnam, and among the things I brought back was some Vietnam verse. More particularly, verse inspired by my travel experiences in this culturally and geographically diverse country.
This was my third visit to Vietnam. I visited some new places as well as some favourite and familiar places. Spent time exploring Hanoi, Hoi An, DaNang and Ho Chi Minh City. I took a handmade notebook purchased on a previous visit to Ho Chi Ming City -when I strolled along the city's renowned bookshop street. It felt appropriate to record my observations and collected words on local paper.
Here is a small sample of the travelling verse and some images that sprung up during my most excellent adventure.
Poetry awaits us, everywhere we go in this world...
Haiku
No swimmers, not even some kelp
Just fluttering flags.
Lanterns of Hoi An
Present a blaze of colour
Globes so radiant.
Two Old Men In Hanoi
I found a peaceful place to write looking out at the Thu Bon River.
Alan, I so enjoyed your musings about your trip to Vietnam. I felt as though I was walking beside you in the colorful city spots. The journal cover is lovely and photos so interesting as you captured what you saw. Thanks for the mini-trip in poetic style.
ReplyDeleteThank you Carol. It is re-assuring to know you as a reader, felt a sense of connection to my journey, my words.
DeleteAlan, thanks for the brief bit of travel alongside you — I enjoyed the juxtaposition you created, of the busy-ness of Hanoi with the resignation and single-minded attitude of waiting in the old men. What a trip!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen. it was indeed a great trip and to be able to capture chunks of it in words was for me, an additional bonus. Glad you felt a connection.
DeleteWow, the color, the images, the memories you capture in your poems. I'm entranced by Two Old Men in Hanoi staring "into the street heat." I hope to travel there in the future.
ReplyDeleteI hope you do get to travel to this amazingly diverse country Patricia. Glad you enjoyed the imagery of the two old men in Hanoi.
DeleteIt may not be exactly the same but I just returned from Costa Rica where we too glistened with the "street heat". I searched for more about those boat eyes, found a new word, "Apotropaic", that encompasses any token that helps keep away evil spirits. Thanks for the sharing of your amazing trip, Alan.
ReplyDeleteNot climatically dissimilar Linda. Heat and humidity being a feature. You have once more chipped away at my ignorance with your discovery of the word- 'apotropaic.' I think of the evil eye symbol used in middle eastern and European cultures. An Italian friend once hung an evil eye symbol on our olive tree in order to stop some sneaky individual stripping the olives at harvest time each year. It worked!
DeleteThank you for letting us peeking into your travel journal. I kept one for my Ireland/Scotland trip. The haiku with the fluttering flags really spoke to me.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. Our travels are enhanced by the collecting of words and images I believe. I've been doing it for as long as I have been an explorer of the world. Glad you liked the haiku.
DeleteI've so enjoyed what you've shared on twitter from Viet Nam. The views, the pastry and the funny street scenes have been delicious fun to see. I love the vibe of 'Two Old Men in Hanoi.' The repetition and deliberate description really illustrating the image.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda. So pleased you enjoyed my Twitter tabulations. It was a great trip and a special way to break out of the pandemic isolation that has surrounded all of us. We were careful, but we also had lots of wonderful experiences. I'm pleased you liked my two old men. You never quite know sometimes what will spark a poetic moment. I saw them late one afternoon and knew straight away they were my writing focus. I watched them intently for a few minutes while my wife searched for shoes in a shop.
DeleteThanks for taking us along on your trip! I felt like I was sitting there on the steps with those two old men.
ReplyDeleteMary Lee, it is re-assuring to know you felt included...
DeleteI was quite fascinated when I realized you were sharing poems from a trip to Vietnam. I must confess I hadn’t considered the travel possibilities this country might have. It was a delight to peek into its gifts. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteTravel provides rich pickings for every writer. Compare, contrast and cultural considerations provoke much that can spark ideas and words. Any travel -near or far stimulates my mind in this regard. This was my third visit to Vietnam. It keeps revealing its treasures to me. I am so pleased you found some delight in my holiday ruminations.
DeleteI'm so glad we were able to travel to Vietnam along with you, thanks to your poetry and photographs. What beauty! I especially like the stillness of the old men looking into the "street heat" amidst the hubbub of Hanoi and I love your writing space and your notebook cover.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming Molly. So glad you gained vicarious pleasure from my poetic wanderings.
DeleteWhat a gorgeous post Alan, and I love your "Two Old Men In Hanoi" poem and the lines with all the "h" sounds. Looks like you had wonderfully rich time, thanks for taking us there, and sharing your writing treasures!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind remarks Michelle. I did indeed have a wonderful time in Vietnam. So much so, we have decided to go back next year and explore some new regions.
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