Thomas Ames is a poet from Houston Texas – USA. He has been in Viet Nam for over 6 years. By loving poetry and Viet Nam from the bottom of his heart, in 2016 he published his first poetry collection “Inside the circle” in bilingual Vietnamese and English. That book gave a good impression to readers in Viet Nam, and we can touch on his unique point of view there too. That is about love, life, and the universe… On occasion, his second book will be published this year, we had an interesting discussion with him.
– The first question is: from where you got the inspirations for the first poetry collection “Inside the circle”?
+ By the way, I get this inspiration from Joel Osteen, he is from Lakewood Church. He talks about people can do what’s in their heart which they have. Everybody has a dream, so I took my dream which he talks about: you can write a book; you can do anything you want to do; anything is in your mind, you can do it, so I was actually doing it
– And you told me that: 80% of these poetries you wrote in Viet Nam, some in Thailand, some in America, and some when you were a teenager at the school. That means: Viet Nam is an important country to you. Why?
+ Oh yeah! Because I was here and I was doing it. I’ve never done it before. When I was in the USA, I had always known in my heart that I would write a book. I didn’t know what kind of book. I didn’t know anything, but I knew I would write a book so that I’m there listening to this creature from Joel Osteen. He said that everybody has a dream inside of them that is writing a book or be successful. I have a business or whatever I want, so I said: well, that’s my idea of having a book, so I would like to have a book, then I retired. And when I retired, I took a workshop, two workshops in Houston Texas. I came to the seminar to learned how to write poetry and then move to Thailand, so I had to that’s all the training are there to write the poems
– So, you already have been in Vietnam for six years. And you published your first book “Inside The Circle” 3 years ago. After 03 years, how is your life? Is there any change in your life after publishing your first book?
+ I published this book in Ho Chi Minh. After that, I moved to Da Lat. Because HCM is a big city. There are too many noises, too much pollutions. I just went as you know, so I went to Da Lat city. It was beautiful. It was really nice to live there and, so I was in the mountains. I love the mountains. When living in the states, I had lived on the beach and beach house and working on a boat, so I was always around the beach and water and boats. In Dalat, I like the mountains because It likes something new to me. I just a whole new thing which I just experienced Dalat. I like Dalat. I looked at the waterfalls. I looked at the flowers. I look at the lake and then I started writing. There is a poem in here. I mean: There is one poem in my first book about Dalat. I wrote that when I was in Sai Gon. But it was inspired by Da Lat. I think I wondered 5 times looking to move to Dalat.
– If you choose 5 things in Dalat which you love, what do you choose?
+ Da Lat is nice and relaxed. People are not tried to make as much money as they try in the megacity. They do not think too much about money. Everything is cheaper than a megacity. So they can relax and not have to work so hard. They are more a little bit happier. I think most people are happier. I like to look at the lake which in the heart of the city. The breathing is fresh in Dalat. I think that is very good. Everything is really nice, and another is a waterfall. I love the waterfall. It has a waterfall around there. That is the brother tourist things that I saw the truth sayings, and then the flowers are so wonderful. It makes your feeling really good even if you don’t know it. I think it is inside you, your body, your mind, your soul, the same thank you flowers for being here. Thank you for just being so beautiful.
– How about the indigenous people there? How do you feel about the people in Da Lat?
+ People are friendly. All of them are friendly. But, I really do not like having to meet so many foreigners, because I didn’t move to Vietnam to meet foreigners. If I want to meet them, I can just stay at home, so I was Dalat. I met so many foreigners that why I moved down to Duc Trong.
– Do you have any friends in Da Lat? Are they the poet or the writer also?
+ I had one poet friend? She is a good poet. And I don’t look for a poet. I don’t try to search out the poet. I don’t try to search anybody, just whoever shows up is my friend, until they are not my friend, you know.
– And you said that you have stayed one and half years in Da Lat. How many poetries which you wrote at that time?
+ Not a lot. Because I was distracted by all the Foreigners say. They don’t understand, they just want to drink all the time and make a party, make a lot of noises and just for being born is that, so I had to move, but I took the memories that I have from the Dalat and moved to Bao Loc.
– Up to now, you are staying in Bao for one and a half years. How many poetries have you written in Bao Loc?
+ Ah, I don’t know. Maybe 100, but I didn’t start writing right away when I move there. I wrote my new book mainly in maybe 3 months. Because I was there. I really like it, so I started to wring and I’ve written it.
– When you write the poem, what are you focussing on the meaning of that?
+ It is no focus. I just write. And later, If I need it, I’ll have the focus. Usually, the focus comes together. I don’t try the engineer. I’m not like an engineer and have a router and they have everything precise. I just have a piece of paper and pen and the energy that comes with writing. I really like to write. The feeling you get some writing and writing the poem this really good. It’s a good feeling!
– Normally, every poet like talking about a topic. So, what topic do you prefer?
+ I like spiritual what is happening inside people. Each person has two people. There’re two people. Each person, you have your outside but you also have your inside. The outside is like: the uniform that you have to wear, to live on us. I like to go inside my soul and write from the create it. Word and poetry come with that. And I do that best in the morning. I wake up maybe at 4 a.m and I read a little bit sometimes, then I’m trying to write and write. That is my best time, cause nobody bothers me; nobody calling me; nobody’s looking for me. This is the silence time so that I can easily write.
– For you, where does the poem come from?
+ From God! If I don’t hear anything from him, I won’t go to do that. I’m pretty boring. Because I just look at things that I don’t say much sometimes, but I like it to be able to communicate with. I don’t even have any communication, but I have a flow of energy from the cosmos. And the cosmos energy is God. And there I’m available here I am. I have a piece of paper and a pen so that rhythm is right there and I can have anything that I want to. So I want to write, so my energy is on writing. So, I think of some things which I have to write. I don’t have any reason to write about anyone’s thinks.
– But I saw that you have a lot of poetry talk about love. Why? Why did you talk too much about love? Do you have any girlfriends or lovers in Viet Nam?
+ Oh, yeah. I have a girlfriend, yeah. And I found that one thing for sure about Viet Nam women that They are very jealous. Jealous! Jealous! Everyone, I think. They’re jealous. And I wrote the poem in my new book about that. About what makes them jealous and what makes true love. It is truth and honesty. To be honest with your partner and there is this thing that I wrote about. Fortunately, I speak when I write it’s good. You know I’m not writing about the band. I know the guy who has the bar and he owns a bar and he said that: You have such good, positive, energy. I really love it and he said that: I have seen so many people come to my place. They said: “I want to kill myself”. I hate that. I hate this. They’re also disabled. If they can create the energy it’s really good and that is from God. That’s why I write everything, I think about his hurt. That is also an energy
– That means you are not only writing about your story but also other stories. Is that right?
+ I wrote my story and everybody in general and in-universe. Look at the book which is just coming out right now “River of Love”. It is more love poetry than my first book. The love poem predominates 50% probably anyway.
– How’re about your private life before coming to Viet Nam?
+ I’m working all the time as a machinist to operate and repair the engine. I have one son and my old wife was 9 years younger than me. I get married when I was forty and she was 31. We stayed together for 23 years. She’s gone and she is in my history. I don’t think about her. It is a long time and too much. We did the wrong things too much. And now I am just waiting for love, I am not looking for. If you look you may find the wrong person. If you wait, the right person will come to you.
– But, when?
+ I don’t know. If they never come. It’s okay. I will leave it and hold on writing the poetry (laugh)
– But our life is limited time, so I think you should look for someone?
+ What is the limit? I did that a long time ago, and look I’m 75 now, and I’m still alive. So, what is the limit? I don’t know the limit. It may be 100 years old. That’s enough. (Laughing)
– Are you feel lonely when you stay alone?
+ No, no. Because I worked on a boat for years. And on the boat, there are six people. I am the captain. I got people working for me, and I was not beside the people usually but I would associate with, in my regular life. But they were the good workers on the boat. We have a relationship working. But I’d driven by myself as the captain, as you know. So I drive myself on the big boat. I did use to. It doesn’t make any difference. I don’t need people around too much. It’s good that I have a few friends with who I associate with. But, I don’t need them like some people have to have people around and talk to and tell them: Oh, I’m going to go eat a hamburger. Do you want to go with me? and something like that, you know. Or let’s go have a sandwich; let’s go to Big C; let’s go doing there for that. I’ve been to Big C; I’ve been to every place in which I would rather not change my energy. My energy pretty steady for the time
– I’m scared that you may lack communication when you stay alone?
+ It’s ok! As long as the words come to the page that’s all I need. Poetry is a best friend of mine. Every old person needs a hobby and that is my hobby. It gives you something to do and it’s very exciting. But, most people work without excitement. They just think of poetry there. This is not good. For me, poetry is really good for feeling. It keeps your mind at work, it keeps you thinking and I think of dangerous people who never would think about any poetry sentence. I do not go out drinking whisky. There’s a new band tonight playing, I go to listen to the music and I don’t do any of that anymore.
– As you know, every country has some poem rules. When you write poetry, which rules are you following?
+ I just write it. I follow the rule of no rule. In America, there are so many kinds of a poem, so you can be any kind of poem that you want to be.
– In the world, we have lots of things to do, but you’ve chosen to write poetry. Why? Did you follow any calling such as the calling of God or something else?
+ I don’t think I chose poetry. I think poetry chose me, so I can put the pen down, I see the black page and word can go there. I have to do is write to them and I can communicate. If I speak to people, they will say that is wonderful, that is bad, that is something else. But if I write, people read the word and the meaning is more.
– How many hours have you spent per day on writing?
+ At all, sometimes I spend nothing, no time and sometimes I spend 20 minutes; sometimes one of the poems in my book that I just wrote about the Coronavirus. It took me 1 minute to write it. When It comes from, I see it came out of the pen and I took the page to write it.
– And when you finish, did you come back to edit?
+ Yes, Most of the time, I take an hour to edit. But you need to be careful when you run edit also. If you edit too much, you might lose the poem. You know, for me there are a lot of poetries come with wisdom, melody, rhythm, and energy what is the words are rhyming or not they are just a feeling that comes from reading. The whole thing and yes it’s really good and if you edit too much you lose that. You just drive that away and sometimes not every poem was supposed to be edit.
– But, actually, now people don’t like to read poetry. They just want to watch some videos on Youtube or play the game all their free time. That is a very not good situation for publishing the book. But you still publish the second book. Why?
+ Let me bring you to the past, socially. And I don’t care. That is one very old thing. I do not have to care. I don’t care. It doesn’t make any difference to me what any bodies think. I enjoyed. And I get to fill me some other people seem to enjoy it too, but not the matches, you know. It’s not like I’m writing something and everybody in the world reading at this. It likes: I write somethings and ten people read it. It is okay. I don’t care. I wrote it. It’s part of the universes on the physical playing. The word is an idea, the word is energy but now it’s on Earth. The words are here
– Some people think that one-day poetry will die. How do you think about that?
+ Do you know, I heard that in American the poetry is not doing very well. But I know a lot of poets in America and they are writing every day and getting Awards, and people get together. But it’s usually the poet listens to a poet. But I have heard another idea is that: so many immigrants come to America from South America from Asia from the place likes all parts of the world and so they’re coming there and they’re bringing their poetry with them and they like poetry. There are groups with it. So now, they bring another one and everybody’s listening within their groups. They still have their poetry so it’s not dead. Yes, It’s not dead, It just depends on which hole in the ground you looking at. If you’re looking at over dead people and you think for alive of poetry. But they’re still there. They are around.
– I think so. But nowadays, people don’t want to read poems, even they read them. They still do not understand too much. Because a poem is required the understanding of
poetry background and language knowledge, so It is a difficult thing for all persons to understand. It is not the simple same as a movie or a short story or a video on Youtube. That’s why now, only a few people want to read the poetry. How do you think about that?
+ I have a theory and is it serious: people go to university and they learn big words. They learn vocabulary, they have a vocabulary that only some persons can understand. This is for people who know the big word. So when a person writes poetry that uses big words, people who knew the big words can easily understand it. And I think I’m still calling my book my new book: The River of Love. It could be easy poetry. I wrote easy poetry and short poems. It is the normal words, so everybody can understand and so I hope I reach people that normally would not like poetry. It is for all people in this country and other countries and keeping it alive. So the poetries can not be dead.
– I have the last question for you: what are the advantages and disadvantages when you publish the poetry book in Viet Nam?
+ For the advantage: The cost is the big thing. It’s much cheaper here. Actually, It’s a very high cost to get to America, you pay a lot more money. In Vietnam, they make a really good book. The publisher is good. And I will publish my new book here too. They’re better books. They did the very good quality. Somebody wrote about my first book “Inside the circle”. They write for amazon.com and review looks and every year, and they talked about the quality of the book. They said: Wow, the quality of the book is really good. That’s one of the advantages here and another advantage. I don’t know that, But you have to watch what you write some kind of rubbish that is not good for people.
+ The government has to approve the book. That’s good. Because they terminate bad things being written in books and I think people are misled a lot if they said they have seen so many bad movies from Hollywood and so many bad things on the internet and the games. They like: killing people, treating people and they talk. It’s not good. But there’s no way to control it. But, with the book, they can control.
– Up to now, how many books did you sell?
+ My first book “Inside The Circle” wasn’t for selling. I just give it to people for free. I gave away maybe 1,500 books. I gave it away like a name card. Instead of the name card, I gave the book to you. I saw some people who can speak English, I gave them. “This is the book for learning English. You have learned English, so you can read it
– For the second book “The river of love”: Is it for selling or not? And how many books would be printed?
+ Yes, That book can be for sale. The minimum amount may be 500 books. I don’t know exactly yet. Because I want to go digital with this, and I don’t need the book physically. I am going to start selling, I don’t know where. It’s such as Amazon but I don’t know people will buy it or not. Did you believe it? So many people sell their books on Amazon and they don’t do anything. It’s just sitting there. I asked them: How many books have you sold on Amazon? They said: Three! (Laugh). I can put it on Amazon when they create a new book app. That is the new way to sell it.
– Okay! So let’s talk about the disadvantage?
+ When I move, I have all these books to move. Because usually somebody in Vietnam – The Vietnamese person, they have the house. They stay a long time there and the book has stayed there. For me it is heavy, I have to carry out the book when I move So that’s what this match disadvantages. And you know, another disadvantage is: You don’t make any money, nobody buys the book, and even so when I do the book is not expensive. But, it does not make any money anyway. The cost of the book might not come back to me. Anyhow, I print the book for my passion. I am interested in poetry, I need to print it and give people for free. You know it was a disadvantage for me because I don’t speak Vietnamese. I can’t read Vietnamese, I can’t write Vietnamese. So only people who I communicate with. Those is the people who are learning English and those people who like to talk to me, and you know. They like, they like speaking but I’m not writing for the passion. I’m not running for any specific person in a group of people. I have to write about this certain way poems want you to do. You follow their formula in Freebirds. I roll up my pen when writing just waiting always waiting for words. I can feel it calling and the energy goes a bunch of energy from the cosmos coming.
– Okay thank you for all your discussion today about the poetry and your new book, so I hope that your new book “The river of love” will be printed early and you can sell it.
+ Yes, I have to make it available. Thanks!
(Interviewed by Lê Hòa)