Hanoi: How it was where we were that one time
no worries
no doubt
when you’re drunk swimming naked
in Halong at midnight
the stars glitter
like phosphorent splashes
cannonballs off the boatside
on the count of three
after long busrides
and Sambuca-stained nights
motorcycle rides
to the middle of nowhere
after the tailor lady told me
“you will find a girlfriend
when you wear this suit”
pinstripes, you know
wandering ’round Hanoi
i wonder why
the price of fresh beer
is so cheap
when it’s the best beer
here
“F it,” Derek says, on a rock
in a river near Sapa, trying
to cross, stone by stone,
stoned
he makes the leap
and we follow
no one likes spring rolls
as a meal, not after so many
“spring rolls are a snack,”
Fionn says, stabbing one with
a chopstick, drunk
on rice wine, singing
“Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley
in his heart
his guitar is what we sing to,
his songbook full of fun
Dee sings the best
and knows all the words
Tania wants to smack me sometimes,
for being drunk and
then distant, i suppose
Anna is sleepy most nights, but
she has a story to share
we’re all sitting on a balcony
laughing at life
when Steen shrugs, says,
“it’s all good, man”
and she’s right
because that’s how it was
where we were
that one time
in Vietnam
Tags: Halong, Hanoi, Sapa, Vietnam
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