Hop Nguyen

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North City Park
19201 10th Avenue NE
Shoreline, WA 98155

[Dear Northcity_2]*:

the echoes of time become finely etched
into the bark
of trees
the bird’s creaking beak
the ahh
at the heart of all sound
pardon me, won’t you take a seat
at the center of your sun
glaring at when you call god
by a name you don’t know
on a telephone with no signal
how does your smile reach for your lips?
is it like the wisdom you speak of?
dear tree, what do you see when standing tall?
how will the wind bear the weight of your decision to move forward?
will your footsteps pave the way or follow the dirt’s call and response?
oh, which way did your song go?
it was never my story to tell
you took your shoes with you
and left behind the dance moves

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Paramount Open Space #1

Paramount Open Space
946 NE 147th Street
Shoreline, WA 98155

[Beloved, paramount open space_willows at edge of field]

Listen in English (SoundCloud)

what song does this remind you of
is it the way the willows and skeletons
in this outdoor closet
unfurl their muletas, fingers, and mother tongues to beckon you
thisclose
to what?
do you ever wonder what you are like
to know
perhaps it’s the animals that acknowledge you
as a visitor and who know without fail
when the seasons change
that their understanding of home must follow suit
Is it ever possible to say goodbye too soon? if it is followed by
a housewarming party
is being struck by lightning the same as being struck by wonder
can you hear yourself breathing this song from scratch
how do you blend in with the grass

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195th Street Overpass

[195th St Pedestrian Tube over I-5]

Listen in English (SoundCloud)

Listen in Vietnamese (SoundCloud)

what are you focused on? and
what are the fences for?
from trees to a concrete sea
of cars mouth breathing
at the speed of business
or pleasure?
you speed of light
the way you look
in and out of time
from where you’re standing
the drivers look up at you to see
where to make peace with you in their memory
like the howling wind tousling your hair
and water trickling through trees
to meet you in plain sight
speak through perceived silence
loud as not a day goes by unnoticed

Download the bilingual PDF

Hamlin Park Location #5 (east side)

16006 15th Ave NE

Shoreline WA 98177

[Hamlin 5]*

Listen in English (Sound Cloud)

Listen in Vietnamese (Sound Cloud)

feet settling for the ground
like no choice like dust piling up like
falling in
love or
at second glance
the birds sound like they really know how to fly
is that where you get your curiosity from?
the silence reaches you easily like night does
always in broad daylight
if only this were as easy
as
taking nothing
for granted
and leaving
everything behind
where do you look to know
your (amongst) future (trees)
that whisper where the wind
goes next
to find you
a delayedinstant
gratifyingly still as change
does,
taking place

--Hop Nguyen
* = poems are not titled but indicate location and source of inspiration

[Hamlin 5]*

chân phải chạm đất
như không còn lựa chọn như bụi chồng chất như
tình yêu chợt ập tới hay
một cái liếc mắt lại
nghe như các chim thực sự biết bay
phải đó là nơi bạn ngộ ra điều bạn muốn biết chăng?
im lặng đến bạn dễ dàng như bóng tối
luôn giữa ban ngày
nếu chuyện này được dễ như
trân qúy những gì nhận được và
bỏ lại mọi thứ sau lưng
bạn nhìn đâu để biết
tương lai bạn giữa rừng cây
thì thầm nơi gió
đi tới
để tìm bạn
vừa trì hoãn vừa lập tức
một yên tĩnh thoải mái như sự thay đổi
đang
diễn ra

--Hop Nguyen (Vietnamese by the author)
* = poems are not titled but indicate location and source of inspiration

Download the bilingual PDF

Voices in the Forest

City of Shoreline

Hop Nguyen

[Dear Northcity_2]*:

[Beloved, paramount open space_willows at edge of field]

[195th St Pedestrian Tube over I-5]

[195th St pedestrian tube over I-5]*

[Hamlin 5]*