In resignation, we march onwards through
The brambles of uncertain fortunes. Ahead,
The knives are sharpened for the slaughter.
Around us, the terrifying din of mirthful laughter.
But we hold our heads up high, without dread.
The grim truth is that Death prunes life anew.
#608 On Your Turgid Vessel, Now Cleft Asunder
Here you are, abandoned, stranded
Your hopes now fallen to the ground
Barely breathing: drowned, defeated
Your ardent dreams, once skyward bound
Have all defected: sad, bereft
Buried under tortured ground
Your turgid vessel jilted, cleft:
There is nothing, nothing left.
#607 On Being a Good Boy
All I wanted was to be a good boy;
A good boy who would not disappoint you, and make
You proud. My being would wipe away your tears.
I would tiptoe around the eggshells of my toys
And your feelings: mercurial, volatile. I would rake
Away your hurts, and transmute them into my own fears.
#605 On A Disappointing Life
How does it feel to
Know that your life has been a
Deep disappointment?
#602 On This Box of Broken Hearts
I've trapped a lifetime's worth of memories -
Letters, photos, broken hearts - they are
Piled on top of each other; shattered fragments
Of lives unrescued, abandoned to Life's vagaries,
Their screams locked away in this box, far
Away from my attention, my daily distracted moments.
#601 On The Mad Courage of Icarus
Inebriated
By your good fortune, you flew
Too close to the sun.
#600 Tentang Hari-Hari Yang Berlari Kencang
Kudaku lari gagah berani
Gagah lejang mengaum garang
Degup liarnya meragut hari
Buas nafsu menerkam siang.
#599 On Death’s Dark Machete
Fate's marionette, you ambled blind
Through Life's dark byways - lost, unmoored.
With every hurt, you hurt in kind,
Unthinking, Life has left you floored.
Your eyes alit with Terror's blaze,
Death's dark machete counts the days.
(inspired by Paul Auster's father, and all the other traumatised, useless fathers out there)
#594 Tentang Nafas Rindu
Dengan setiap rukun ruku’ dan sujud
Aku ampuhkan seluruh pancaindera
Menempuh alur waktu dan wujud
Membucu setiap sisa rasa sengketa
Pancungkanlah nafsu buasku, Tuhan
Agar dapat aku bernafas tanpa sedan.
#590 On the Atmosphere of a Bookshop Cafe
The click and flush of
The coffee machine mingles
With tepid muzak.