What Were They Like

Did the people of Viet Namuse lanterns of stone?

Did they hold ceremoniesto reverence the opening of buds?

Were they inclined to quiet laughter?

Did they use bone and ivory,jade and silver, for ornament?

Had they an epic poem?

Did they distinguish between speech and singing?

Sir, their light hearts turned to stone.

It is not remembered whether in gardensstone gardens illumined pleasant ways.

Perhaps they gathered once to delight in blossom,but after their children were killedthere were no more buds.

Sir, laughter is bitter to the burned mouth.

A dream ago, perhaps.

Ornament is for joy.

All the bones were is not remembered.

Remember,most were peasants; their lifewas in rice and bamboo.

When peaceful clouds were reflected in the paddiesand the water buffalo stepped surely along terraces,maybe fathers told their sons old tales.

When bombs smashed those mirrorsthere was time only to scream.

There is an echo yetof their speech which was like a song.

It was reported their singing resembled the flight of moths in moonlight.

Who can say?

It is silent now.