Nguyen xuan nghia biography books

In celebration of World Poetry Day, all this week we are paying tribute to poets who have been persecuted or imprisoned in violation of their right to free expression.

Today we are honouring Vietnamese poet Nguyen Xuan Nghia who is currently serving a six year prison sentence for his pro-democracy writings and activities.

Poem

My fatherland is like the donkey skin
That shrinks each time one has a wish
A wish of prosperity: its woods lose their trees, its seas their fish
A wish of territorial integrity: its islands and mountains were annexed by the foreigners…
I stood peacefully with my sign, protesting Beijing
The first people to come were the police
They looked at me as a scabrous dog
I fell down, they lift me up
Their punches again landing on my face.
Yet, they’re my compatriots
Sharing with me this arid land of rocks and sands
This land of thousands years of struggle and pain
To survive and to overcome…
I lied on the ground
My tears swallowed
Which dynas