The full moon night of October. He turns off the lamp, opens wide the window curtains so the beams of moon can enter. How strange, waning. He asks his wife. - It’s a waning moon right? - Nope - she says indifferently – the moon's absolutely round up there! He asks his mother. - Ma, why's the moon waning on this fifteenth day? His mother (no burning desire to look out the window) testily replies. - Waning? It’s not waning at all.’ He asks his child. No reply. He asks again (for fear she didn’t hear). - I don’t know!!! The little girl screams from her room. He strains his eyes looking. For a long while. Still waning. He covers one eye with his hand. Still waning. He covers both eyes. He sees nothing at all. Oh of course, what an idiot. In a Wat, the 15th day of October (seemingly), 2003
-- translated by Kaitlin Rees -- painting of Đinh Trường Chinh