Dad is alone at home in Hanoi,
I am so worried,
All through the night,
I didn’t dare to call,
Kept being worried,
And tears fallen on and on.
This morning, I kept calling Dad but couldn’t reach him,
I was so anxious,
I forgot there are live cameras at home,
Quickly opened the app on phone,
Saw Dad sweeping leaves in the yard,
Our home was safe and sound,
And my heart felt a little lighter.
Everywhere, the storm rages furiously,
Quang Ninh looks like a scene from "The Doomsday,"
Boats and ships sinking,
Even cruise ships,
Slowly sinking into the storm...
Hai Phong devastated by howling winds,
Windows blown away,
Cars swept up by the storm.
Some people died,
And the damage is countless,
Power is out,
Communication is lost,
So many of my friends and their families are there!
It is heartbreaking...
My homeland suddenly in ruins,
That fierce storm abruptly changed course, heading for Hanoi,
Many factory roofs blown off,
A friend’s 2,000-square-meter book warehouse roof collapsed,
A schoolmate’s factory in Ha Tay lost its roof too...
Many streets are flooded,
And more painfully,
Thousands of big trees uprooted,
Among them,
Countless ancient trees that stood firm for a hundred years,
Beloved streets of my childhood,
Phan Dinh Phung,
Hoang Dieu,
The Church...
Now the trees are shattered...
People were quick to bring
Chainsaws and cutters,
Swiftly cutting down all the ancient trees that were leaning or had fallen,
Cutting away the soul of Hanoi.
I’m not a botanist,
Just thinking as a human,
Why didn’t they trim some branches or secondary roots,
And find ways to replant the uprooted trees?
The trees could be saved,
There are many ways to save them,
Why,
Why,
Must they be sawed down, cut down???
After the storm,
My heart feels broken,
Writing these lines with blurred eyes,
Want to do something,
For the greenery,
For my homeland.
I miss my Hanoi,
I miss my childhood,
I miss my country,
Oh, my beloved Vietnam...!
- JK, Singapore 8/9/2024 -
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