Lien-Ho Ngo

Falls Church, VA, USA

A vietnamese widow with three grown children, Lien-Ho Ngo has resided in the Washington D.C. area for thirty years. Her great-grandfather, grandfather, and father wrote poetry. Lien -Ho writes poems in English and in Vietnamese, both of which have been published in local newspapers. in the Northern Virginia yearly poetry book, and by The National Library of Poetry. Lien -Ho can only express her feelings through poems.

NOBODY CARES

I break my ankle, falling down,
At home nobody's around!
Please, somebody, pull me to bed.
My eyes are blurred with tears aflow.

The last stair step knocks me down.
At home nobody's around!
My ankle swollen, my foot stiff,
My body shaking like a leaf in the wind.

The pain is terrible from leg down,
At home nobody's around!
My arms and hands become weak,
How can I hold the wall for standing?

The refrigerator's not near, It's far down.
At home nobody's around!
To get some ice, one leg can not do,
My ankle grows bigger, and my heart smaller.

Help! Help! My cries go out, but who cares,
At home nobody's around!
My eyes are fuzzy, my body cramps,
My hands be numb, my forehead sweats.

No more strength, please help me down,
At home nobody's around!
Ouch! Pain, can I lie down?
Pity me: a sip of water, a warm blanket!

Oh! Somebody, please help me now,
At home nobody's around!
Please give me a hand, and give me your care,
I need consolation, your heart warms me.

Who cares about my situations? Who hears my groaning?
At home nobody's around!
My ears ringing, my body frozen, my throat dry,
Losing energy, still screaming for help, out of pain!

I get dizzy, hair falling down,
At home nobody's around!
Look! Nothing! No Tylenol, no pain pills,
Sorry for me, dial 911 please. My heart squeezes.