Three Responses in Verse: Võ Thị Như Mai on Presence, Reciprocity & Love Across Cultures

I would rather know the sound of your laughter
in a serene room
than have the whole world sing
and not hear you

I would rather have your hand finding mine
under the umbrella in the rain
than have every word between us
perfectly understood

there are things I want to learn
about you slowly
the art of your songs and stories
and your very rare but cheerful laughter

I want the ordinary days with you,
the coffee going cold while we keep talking
the cuddles that somehow make
the whole world feel quieter

from now on let’s forget the reasons
and simply be
just two hearts in love and lost at sea

I don’t want to understand love tonight;
I want to feel it
in the beautiful way your eyes stay with mine
as if the whole world has become smaller around us
and there is nowhere else my heart needs to be

I want to lose track of time
against your shoulder
and let your heartbeat become
the only thing I listen for

if tomorrow brings questions,
let tomorrow have them
from now on let me love you
without measuring anything
without counting what was given
or what was returned

just your songs close to mine,
your presence filling the room
your smile making something
inside me surrender

I want this moment exactly as it is

I love the things about you
that are not like me
the stories that shaped you,
the places that made you
the little traditions you hold
without realizing how beautiful they are
and the way your eyes change
when you speak about where you come from

I don’t need us to have the same beginning
I only want to be part of the story
where our paths meet

because somewhere between
your memories and mine
we begin creating moments
that belong only to us

a new kind of home made from laughter,
touch, music, and midnight conversations

two different worlds finding a reason
to keep reaching for the same sunrise