In a coffee shop at the corner of Dong Khoi and Lam Son

In a coffee shop at the corner of Dong Khoi and Lam Son
I sat in front of my salad and the Prince of Tides
Motorcyclist whizzing by with no helmet
Louis Vuitton signboard stood majestically across the street
I was waiting for my husband and daughter to come back
They were still on a boat somewhere along the Mekong Delta
Looking at people making rice crackers and coconut candies
I ate my lettuce and bit my olive
I let Pat Conroy take me all the way to South Carolina
Still, I had the chance to glimpse at a basket of mangosteen on a motorcycle,
Children running,
And European tourists on siklo
And that’s how I spent my third afternoon in Ho Chi Min city
While waiting for the rivers of Mekong Delta
Delivering my family back to me

Ho Chi Min city, Vietnam, 8 June 2007. 13:31

Note : Vietnam used to be occupied by French so there are some French influence. Siklo is a Vietnamese becak. Prince of Tides is a novel by Pat Conroy about the life of a shrimp fisherman family in South Caroline