for treating you like a halfway house.
A necessary stage
between emigration and immigration,
a temporary hatstand.
I apologize for short-shrifting
your many-storied museums
and the fragrant noodle soups.
I should have spent the time
to admire the Chinese pond herons
on Lake Hồ Tây.
I was in a hurry - no excuse -
to get the visa done
and my heart was
stuck
between Portland (old home)
and Chiang Mai (new love).
There was no room for you, Hanoi,
no ricochet romance. I’m sorry.
You deserved better.
You charmed me with whimsy at West Lake Double Dragon statue,
terrified me with snarling traffic,
offered me peace at Vạn Niên pagoda.
Hanoi, city of many layers,
I left you half-unwrapped
under someone else's Christmas tree.
Books Available
Dervish Lions
The Day of My First Driving Lesson
Country Well-Known as an Old Nightmare's Stable
High-Voltage Lines
Knocking from Inside
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