Funeral Van Without His Coffin Poem by NHIEN NGUYEN MD

I attended mass at church this morning
This was a funeral mass for Mr Jim.
He was blessed with excellent longevity.
Joining him at church were his wife,
his grand children and great grandchildren.
They bid him farewell for his journey to heaven.
He was cremated and he became ashes.
He didn't need time for his body to decay.
Funeral van didn't carry his coffin
All of his remain was contained in a little urn.
After being buried in the cemetery by his family
All that was left of him are his ashes in his urn.

12292015
NHIEN NGUYEN MD

Translation of Vietnamese poem Xe Tang Không Có Quan Tài of

NHIEN NGUYEN MD

XE TANG KHÔNG CÓ QUAN TÀI

Hôm nay dự lễ nhà thờ
Lễ này là lễ cầu hồn ông Jim
Ông này tuổi thọ khá cao
Vợ con, cháu chắt, tiễn ông về trời.
Không cần chờ tháng năm trôi
Xác ông đã đốt, thành tro than rồi.
Xe tang không có quan tài
Chỉ một hộp nhỏ, ông là nắm tro.
Gia đình đưa tiễn ông xong
Nghĩa trang ông ở, nắm tro để đời.

12292015
NHIEN NGUYEN MD