the prison island of côn sơn - a poem by thép xanh

we promise one another / poems from an asian war -
don luce selected, introduced ... ( Washignton , D, C 1971 )
   

                          the prison  island of côn sơn 
                                                   a poem by thép xanh

You ask me where on the earth
People cannot live as human beings,
 Where people with heart nad soul
Live like beasts, 
 And I remember the days at Côn Sơn.
The days of my youth
 The beautiful blossoming days of my manhood
Still engraved in my heart with hate ;
 I engrave in this burning heart
The days of starvation at Côn Sơn
 Meals of eight spoonfuls of rice
Burning my stomach ,
One cup of water for five people
Burning my throat .
Do you know the nauseous smell of rotten shrimp paste ?
 Despite my empty stomach, the bile flow bitter
And I spit out ' Human Rights ' to the Second Republic ! 
 Yet listen to them
 '  Eat and lie flat on your back for twenty- four hours .
Remember, son ,
 Raise your head and we' ll break your ribs ;
Unbutton you shirt and you'll eat lime dust . ' 
 You ask me where the Hell
Deep in my heart I remember night of Côn Sơn --
The echo of a creaking door
The beatings
 The crying out at midnight
 The shouting of guards
' Damn it ! Ask for medecine
 And we' ll send you to the cemetery of Hàng Dương.'
 The beating of clubs on my back .
 Oh, my heart, how it aches
 Yet I still have the heart to ask
 Whether they are human beings .
 I ask ll of you .
 I ask the regime of the Republic
 Who are they ?  Those whom the regime has trained
 To ' reform'  the prisoners at Côn Sơn .
 You are responsible Regime of the Second Republic ,
 Responsible to all of the people .
 To each of us
 Today
 In this Twentieth Century
The century of human progress .   []

poem by  THÉP XANH

------
   from:   WE PROMISE ONE ANOTHER / POEMS FROM ANASIAN WAR-
                selected by DON LUCE,  JOHN C. SCHAFER & JACQUELINE  CHAGNON -
                ( Published by The Indochina   Mobile Education Project, Washington, D, C. 1971 -  p. 106 -107  )