Morning Star

"What's a primate?" "A monkey," I replied. Silence. I had a lurking hunch I had said something wrong. The professor peered at me. "When Pope John XXIII wanted to convoke a Vatican Council, many primates or bishops in the curia was opposed to the idea. They felt there was nothing wrong with the church and the idea of assembling bishops from all over the world was useless." My classmates giggled quietly. Ooops. I couldn't help thinking about rodents and mischievousness since my garden is constantly pestered. Three inch holes and a trail of broken stems signaled the antics of an opossum. I usually ignored these inteferences because I knew the animal was blind. However, my dưa gang (melon fruit) was ripening beautifully. Visitors told me I could only get rid of an opossum with a professional exterminator. "His secretary said, "This is an important decision. One does not make it alone." The Pope replied, "You are right. The Ho...

"1-2-3 Ninja!" Silent chops whistled through the air. Faces were still and attentive. Right lunge. Backward slash. Left step. Maria bursted out laughing. We joined in. The game did make us look silly and the trickling crowd of persons coming to St. Peter's Tết Trung Thu Festival were puzzled by our frozen non-sensical postures. Our iSPY youth group had moved chairs, inserted candles into the paper lanterns, and got the stage ready. We were waiting for the dragon dance which marked the beginning of the festivities. We were ahead of schedule. It was time for "Ninja!" Minutes sped by. Nacho cheese and jalapenos were scooped into bowls. Hot dogs in creamy white buns were placed into guests' welcoming hands as they got hungry from watching the show and breathing in the clear night air. The moon shone in its golden glory as clouds drifted past its surface. Tommy served everyone with a huge smile. Hương and Magdalene stayed faithful to the beverages post. Hùng An...

If I had to be a fairy, I would be a tree fairy. Would you let me watch over you when you break forth into the dark earth? Would you let me hang dew drops on your tender green leaves? Would you let me play with you when your friends, the bee and the ladybug, visit your flowers? Would you let me hug you when the storms come and the bugs bite? Would you let me sit near you when your roots are firm and your branches reaches heavenward? Would you let me kiss you goodbye when your fruit is picked and your body chopped for firewood? Would you let me welcome you back as you fall back into the earth to give forth new life? Would you let me be a tree fairy so I know how to be a real person? There is an old proverb: If you have vision for a year, plant wheat. If you have vision for 10 years, plant a tree. If you have vision for an eternity, plant a child. This poem is dedicated to my nieces and nephews, to our aspirants in my religious community, and all the youth I work with, especially the iSP...

"Here Sister, this is the prettiest one of all today!" She gently bit into the fruit, slowly sweetened by the sun's late summer rays. A slight breeze broke through the twilight hours. The pear tree stood majestic, despite half its body has been ripped by a lightning storm. "Lord, hear our pear." As Sr. Jacinta Ngân munched away and the sisters trailed behind me on our walk, I could hear the murmur of my dad's voice. Every evening, summers ago, mom and dad packed all seven of us into a station wagon and we went to daily Mass. The Vietnamese church was too far away and so we attended St. Paul's Catholic Church, an eight-minute drive. We watched in silence as this was our first time attending a Mass in English. "Lord, hear our pear." Until the general intercessions. My dad's voice reverberated deeply, its warm resonance lingering in the air. Lord, hear our pear? It didn't sound right but one does not question a Vietnamese patriarch. It ...

I wish I had a skirt with long ruffles to take you by the hand into the dancing waters of the ocean so you feel the tug of the waters and my heart. ps1. In honor of the Harvest Moon, the most beautiful moon of the year and the occasion of a huge Vietnamese children's festival. ps2. In honor of love that made me meet LOVE. ps3. Photo from http://www.pettiskirtstyle.com/

"What did one goldfish say to the other goldfish?" "Who's gonna drive this tank?" It was break time in our Moral Theology class at UD (University of Dallas) and it is a long-standing tradition of Dr. Mark Lowery to share jokes. The cornier the better. I had met him five years ago when my superiors asked me to start a master's program. He was the current chair of the theology department, a man distinguished in his demeanor, and piercing in his replies. He is still the chair of the department and it takes him five minutes to lower his body into a chair. I was shocked when I saw his bent limbs. His words still pierce, as he lectures from memories and turns arguments upside down. More piercing is the light that radiates from his eyes. It gleams when he is refuting a philosophical error. It twinkles when he tells jokes. It blazes when he spoofs of his physical limitations. And it is a blaze of gentle self-deprecation. I was going to learn more than moral theolog...

We were called by name. We were asked to remain in position. We were filed singly and marched up (by elevator) to the fifteenth floor. "All stand. Jury entering." We entered the courtroom. Two lawyers, a special agent, and the defendant peered at us. We were going to undergo "voir dire." It is an Anglo-French term for "speaking the truth." "Ms. X, you are a software engineer?... Numbers have to be exact in your profession, correct?... And yet, you know life is not that clear-cut?" "Mr. Z, you are a manager?... For how long?.. When a dispute occurs, do you listen to both employees?.. Why?" As the questions rolled, it was obvious that the lawyers were trying to get a feel of our personalities and principles through our occupations and family backgrounds. This is voir dire's purpose Judge Reed O'Connor implied in the beginning explanation. The beauty of the American justice system is every defendant gets a trial by jury. And ...