Discussion Topic: Symbolism, Cultural Proverb, and Enlightenment in Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's "Under the Bodhi Tree"

“Under the Bodhi Tree”

By Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

“Đợi chờ là hạnh phúc,” a Vietnamese proverb tells me that waiting is happiness.

I don’t know if this is true, but I certainly feel alive under the shade of a Bodhi tree grown in the desert of the unknown.

Its seed was sown from the night I stood next to you listening to the lyrics of a song I couldn’t understand but imagined was about love.

“Tình yêu là mật ngọt,” another Vietnamese proverb tells me that love is honey.

I know this is not true But I am not afraid to wait for you under the Bodhi tree and when you arrive both of us will sit calm, under the tree branches. Their leaves will rustle into us the brilliance of a blue sky which will stay one true color even though anything in this world may change.

“Under the Bodhi Tree” from THE COLOR OF PEACE by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai. Published by Black Ocean on September 2, 2025. Copyright © 2025 by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai. All rights reserved. Reproduced by Poetry Daily with permission.