works by w.pham

works by william pham, 2005-present
A Vietnamese Man Dreams At Night, Alone
I dreamt I was a tiger,
My father a tiger,
My mother a tiger too.

I lived a pleasant tiger life;
I was married to a tiger wife.

We lounged on jungle blankets
And watched the jungle breathe
(In jungles, as in cities,
There is never anything good on TV.)

But we as tigers were not gods,
And only gods could survive
The devils and their fire
That wrapped its jaws around
Our pleasant tiger lives.

We leapt as only tigers may,
From the jungle to the city,
Hounded by the monkeys' screech
And the howling of the wolves,
Though wolves themselves well know
How far the devils' fire can reach.

Now I may watch the city breathe,
Each breath a ripple of the crowds
Through crowded city streets;
But on some days I still miss
The simplicity of our tiger lives,
Even though in jungles,
As in cities, there is never
Anything good on TV.