I'm sending my husband a few packs of special cigarettes.
He will smoke them slowly as his life is burning away like the ashes.
I am sending a few sewing needles to my mother.
She will sew a shirt as if she were sewing through my heart.
I am sending a few yards of fabric to my sister
I don't know if she will make a wedding gown or a dress for a funeral
I am sending to my brother a lot of candy
He will eat so many sweets, because his life is so bitter
I am sending my father a plain white shirt
He will wear it only once, when he goes to his execution.
I am sending to Vietnam an ocean of tears
I am sending to Vietnam a dream of a peaceful day
I am sending to my husband a fountatain pen.
He will paint his life as a dream drawn between the thin lines.
I am sending to my mother a few boxes of tea.
She will pour me some tea as her eyes run out of tears.
I am sending my sister a few matches
She will burn her life in an empty, cold, and misty place.
I am sending to my brother a lovely ring
He will sell it to find a way to escape his life.
I am sending my father a few bottles of sleeping pills
He will use them to lull himself to sleep in the jail cell where he is imprisoned for life.
I am sending to Vietnam a caring song
I am sending to Vietnam my dreams of a peaceful sleep.
[VIET DZUNG, original Vietnamese title: Mot Chut Qua Cho Que Huong] |