he Scent of Green Papaya

Eagerly absorbing nutrients
From murky air, filthy soil
Sugar and fragrance brewing
Her child: the green papaya growing within
As each little head peeks out

The season turns to summer
Rotten, murky air flows with the sweetness of melon

Plump and inviting, drawing vines to climb
Unrestrained like a pair of violent hands
Bees and butterflies come, hunting for fragrance and pursuing beauty
…Until the round fruit is snapped, bitten
Seeds are spat out one by one

The storm continues to ravage and wash away
Seeds sink deep into the garbage heap

Green shoots arrive in spring
Season after season, year after year, in endless cycles
…She has forgotten in which world her life began
Or in which world it ended

Note:
The Scent of Green Papaya is a Vietnamese film that won the Cannes Film Festival award in 1993. The film tells the story of a lowly maid who overcomes her fate. In reality, how many women can truly transcend their social status?