Wedding Ho Chi Minh

Wedding: Ho Chi Minh A sleek white Mustang, laden with red roses Rolls up at the family home. Offerings are laid at the shrine of the ancestors Incense burns. A Buddha’s smiling face Looking on munificently. Diamonds and money are proffered Sealing the marriage union Great grandmother, dapper in deep black velvet Cries tears smaller than rice seeds Lifts the hem of her jacket to dab them away, So tiny they do not wet the trim of gold. Her long grey hair’s pulled back in a tiny bun She is fragile as a twig aged by the Seasons Delicate as a butterfly tasting nectar She sips from a cup of rice wine Her eyes as they join with the bride’s Are two bright mirrors Joy reflecting joy