Golden phoenix
I sat alone on the second floor of a rustic coffee shop. The small, deserted shop on a winding street had a name that couldn't be more rustic than Ve Ho.
I don’t know why people planted yellow royal poinciana trees on that small road by the water’s edge. In early summer, the yellow royal poinciana trees are so bright and beautiful. Although the yellow royal poinciana flowers bloom so passionately, their color is always vague and desolate.
In front of him was a small table that looked exactly like a rough wooden cutting board, made from the trunk of a large piece of wood. The long wooden chair looked like a stylish double student chair.
West Lake, a quiet sunset, the water reflects vaguely. The water ripples in the light of day. I ordered a cup of coffee and a pack of cigarettes. Those are things I almost never use.
Suddenly I remembered one morning a friend came back from far away. He asked me out for coffee and wanted to give me a package of dates. We sat at this deserted cafe.
A Facebook friend and this is the first time we met. Facebook is magical. It makes two people who have never met before feel like they have been close friends since a previous life.
After a few hours of talking about all sorts of things, I can only remember one thing. You said everyone said you had beautiful and impressive lips. I said your dove eyes were the most beautiful.
Deep eyes are always filled with a desolate sadness. I wonder if such sad eyes are beautiful eyes.
Nha Trang
Every afternoon I go to the stone embankment. I sit alone and watch the soft green seaweeds undulating and floating with the waves. At that time, two questions always arise.
Do the waves have to crash against the shore like this? Does the seaweed have to be this soft and green? The questions echoed over and over again, but there was no answer.
When the bell of the Stone Church rang, I slowly returned to the hotel.
Rose
As soon as you stepped out onto the balcony, you hurriedly chased something away. I asked what was going on. You told me to come out. I stepped out. You told me to look at how beautiful the roses were this morning. The petals were bright red. The fragrance was so strong. But those damn butterflies and bees ruined everything.
Indeed. Competing to suck nectar, they have caused the beautiful roses to have petals that are misaligned and fall off. This is no longer a noble rose.
Seeing me smile. You asked me why I was smiling. I said roses bloom and spread their fragrance to attract bees and butterflies. Flowers are beautiful and fragrant because of bees and butterflies, not because of me. Are you serious? I said bees and butterflies help flowers pollinate and bear fruit to preserve the rose breed. I am just a follower of bees and butterflies.
You argue that I plant trees to see beautiful flowers. I say that is my purpose. Trees bloom beautifully for the purpose of trees.
Barringtonia acutangula
One day my grandfather called me. He asked if there was still room on the terrace for some potted plants. I thought my father-in-law wanted to buy plants as a gift, so I hesitated. Because the plants he liked were all very expensive. So he said right away. He meant to move some big potted plants down to my house for me to take care of.
He is a man who has been passionate about bonsai all his life. His villa has many rare and precious bonsai trees. Each tree is breathtakingly beautiful. Each tree is very expensive. Every day he spends a lot of time meticulously pruning and shaping the trees. Every tree he plants is lush and has a unique shape. Now that he is old and seriously ill, he does not have the strength to take care of the trees. He also cannot bear to give his precious trees to others.
Then a small truck carrying the plants arrived at his house. Grandfather carefully escorted them. He went up to the terrace to admire the meaning and choose a place to put each potted plant. Those were the most precious plants in his villa.
Many years later, all the pots of plants he gave were still green and healthy. Especially the old Barringtonia tree bloomed twice a year. The flowers were very abundant. The color was bright red and the fragrance was strong.
After he passed away, the potted plants he gave me were carefully cared for and remained green and healthy as usual. The Barringtonia acutangula tree, however, has not bloomed a single flower since the day he passed away.
Once I visited a garden. Seeing that the owner was knowledgeable about trees, I took the opportunity to talk about the Barringtonia acutangula tree. The garden owner laughed and said that on the day the old man passed away, I should have tied a piece of black cloth around each tree so that they could mourn him. If I had missed it, that old Barringtonia acutangula tree would never bloom again.
Class reunion
I was the head of the class liaison committee for many years. When I retired, I wanted to return to my hometown to live. Thinking back to the first class reunions, everyone was very excited. Everyone felt like their beautiful student days were coming back, as happy as Tet. Many trips were organized far away. Many all-night drinking parties. Many old feelings rekindled.
The new head of the department has a new way of doing things. Previously, only classmates would attend the meetings. Now, with the change, both husband and wife are invited to attend. The first meeting was also very exciting and fun. Even though the number of class members had decreased by a fraction. The second meeting had nearly halved the number of class members and the atmosphere was somewhat awkward. The third meeting had more than halved the number of members. The class meeting turned into a family group meeting.
I attended all the meetings. One night, I drank wine. My friend sitting next to me whispered in my ear: Why are you all so busy that you don't go? I said: You're old, your health isn't good anymore. You're retired, so you don't have much money anymore. There were many other reasons. My friend said: Why are you so full and happy? I said: Ah, going to a class reunion is like the people in the mountains going to a love market. If you bring your husband and wife along, the market will be over. My friend stood up and laughed.
Source: https://daidoanket.vn/chum-tan-van-cua-nha-tho-nguyen-linh-khieu-10291133.html
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