July is a somber month.

(Baonghean) - It's the end of July, yet the sweltering summer heat still lingers. The earth and sky are restless as summer draws to a close, awaiting autumn. The sky is a clear blue. Suddenly this morning, I encountered a young woman strolling down the street, holding a bouquet of bright red banana blossoms, lost in thought. It was as if a flame burned within her embrace. Where is she going? Is she, like me, slowly making her way to a cemetery filled with the scent of incense? A place where wives bring their children to light incense for fathers they never met. A place where elderly mothers silently light a stick of incense at their children's graves before closing their eyes.

Why do I hear sounds like temple bells echoing everywhere? Is it that the memories of those July days never truly rest in my heart? The trees have turned green again, but why do the barren forests and deep bomb craters still ache within me? No, how can I forget the price of peace!

July is a bustling month, a time for lighting fires of gratitude. The blue sky seems to bow down close to Mother Earth, listening to the footsteps of countless meaningful pilgrimages to their roots. Below lies the blood and bones that have been shed, the tragic verses of the nation's song.

Every July, my mother becomes more pensive, silently chewing betel nut and gazing into the distance. She thinks about the war, she remembers her son who went away and never returned, and she no longer cries, for her tears now flow inward.

I traveled to the distant land where my brother fell, where the bird yearning to soar had landed. Where does my brother lie on this land? That question has weighed heavily on my mother's and relatives' hearts for years. I went to the forests, passed through the cemeteries, the places where my brother left his footprints. There were no headstones inscribed with his name…

I understand that your flesh and blood, your bones and the blood of your comrades, have become one with the earth, and your souls linger in the hearts of every person living today. Remember the saying: "Death is the beginning of life." Therefore, my brother, your comrades will forever be immortal!

Knowing all this, how can one possibly offer words of comfort to the hearts and souls of mothers who have waited so many years, yet their children still haven't returned?!

Trinh Dinh Nghi