Ένα αφιέρωμα στη Βιετναμέζα ποιήτρια Vo ThiNhu Mai από την ποιήτρια Maja Milojković
Επιμέλεια: Εύα Πετροπούλου Λιανού
Vo Thi Nhu Mai is a Vietnamese-born poet, literary translator, and educator based in Western Australia.
With a Master’s degree in Literature and over two decades of teaching experience across Vietnam and
Australia, she actively promotes multicultural literacy through poetry and translation. Her bilingual works
have been published internationally, and she is the editor of two major anthologies—The Rhythm of
Vietnam and The Graceful Folds of Time—featuring English translations of poems by over 250 Vietnamese
writers worldwide. Passionate about cultural connection, she frequently performs bilingual readings and
advocates for Vietnamese literature through her long-standing website: vietnampoetry.wordpress.com.
This piece reflects the emotional gravity of distance and memory, where the bond between mother and
homeland becomes inseparable. It gathers the scent of rice fields, echoes of lullabies, and the quiet
endurance of family into a tender meditation on origin. Even in faraway lands, the soul carries the weight
and warmth of where it first belonged — where love was first known, and time seemed both brief and eternal.
HOMETOWN (by Vo Thi Nhu Mai)
Dear mother, I have gone faraway
Twenty springs with happiness and sadness collected
Days passing in the blink of an eye
Night lightened by thousand stars in the sky
I carry your image, sugarcane and strawberry field
Sounds of bullets and bomb echoed in my memory
Father’s sutra was left unfinished
The bell of Linh Son temple praying
I whisper the word HOMETOWN
It sounds affectionate because hometown is you, mother
Rice grains have nurture me from birth
I’m also nurtured by grandma’s lullaby
and grandpa’s yard sweeping sound
I have seen many rivers
But none are as impressive as O Lau
Filled with salt water in Laotian wind season
When the drought comes, plants are watered
In the foreign land I feel sad
in the afternoons tilting towards the clouds
I have nothing to offer but hometown longing
Sweet from my breath
Thinking of every single hometown dust sacred
I will be back to visit many places
As if searching for lost time
I will hug you so tight lovingly
Listening to the rain song
Whatever happens I always love where I was born
Every country is full of earthy pain
Every country is up and down
But only hometown owns you, mother
You are in your hunched back
A question mark for my very own life.
THE SIMPLE TRUTH ABOUT HAPPINESS (By Vo Thi Nhu Mai)
We often grow up believing that happiness lies somewhere just ahead of us — a shimmering prize waiting
at the finish line of achievement. We imagine that joy will blossom when we finally land that dream job, buy
the perfect home, fall in love, or retire to a peaceful life. But what if happiness is not a future destination, but
a way of walking through the world?
The Myth of “I’ll Be Happy When…”: From childhood, we are conditioned to strive — for better grades, better careers, better versions of ourselves. And in that striving, we inherit a silent belief: “I’ll be happy when…” When I lose weight. When I earn more. When everything is finally in order. Yet, even as we tick
those boxes, happiness often slips through our fingers, elusive as mist. This is because happiness that hinges on future milestones is inherently fragile. It pushes joy further down the road, always just out of
reach. We become so fixated on what’s next that we forget to live what’s now.
Joy in the Ordinary: Real happiness doesn’t always shout. Sometimes, it whispers in quiet moments we overlook: the golden hush of sunrise, the scent of a familiar meal, the feel of freshly laundered sheets. A child’s laughter. A friend remembering your favourite song. These simple, fleeting instants are where happiness truly resides. In reality, when we slow down enough to notice the world around us — the rustle of
leaves, the rhythm of our breath — we realize that happiness isn’t hiding. It’s waiting to be seen, right here in the ordinary.
Gratitude: The Gentle Shift: Gratitude is perhaps the most underestimated form of happiness. It doesn’t demand wealth, beauty, or brilliance – only attention and presence. When we focus on what we already have — our health, our loved ones, our memories – a quiet shift takes place. Life feels fuller. Wounds feel softer. We become less hungry for what’s missing and more nourished by what’s here. Numerous studies have shown that a simple daily gratitude practice – even listing three things we’re thankful for – can reduce anxiety, improve sleep, and foster a deeper sense of wellbeing. Choosing Happiness, Moment by Moment: Happiness isn’t about bypassing life’s hardships. Pain, loss,
and struggle are inevitable parts of the human experience. But within that experience, we can choose how
we respond. We can choose compassion over resentment, forgiveness over anger, curiosity over fear. We can choose to reach out, to rest, to say no when needed and yes when it matters. We can choose laughter
in the face of uncertainty and kindness in the face of adversity.
As you can see, happiness is not about perfection. It’s about presence. It’s about becoming aware of life’s
texture – the way sunlight dances on your kitchen floor, the comfort of a warm drink held in both hands, the memory of someone who loved you dearly. So perhaps the simple truth is this: happiness doesn’t live in some distant place we’ll one day arrive at. It lives in the way we walk, the way we see, the way we love –
