Poem: BALI, Indonesia

BALI, INDONESIA Green, deep green Chlorophyll blinds the eyes keen Black earth, brown aches Sticky mud between toes cakes. Tears irrigate the picture painted under the labouring harvest’s stricture Paddy, palms, coconuts, frangipanis Creations of peasant hands canny. Rice sold and eaten Suffices to keep deep want beaten But for the future there are no […]

(Poem?) The dried eel of Indonesia

(Remembering a story from the experiences of Joesoef Isak from 1966 or 1967.) The dried eel of Indonesia. The humidity was from sweat and not the air. The sad singing was the whimpers as they dabbed alcohol on the wounds. The music was the brushing of bodies and clothes against each other in the tiny […]

Poem” The Wretched’s Choir”

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That wakes a wretch like me I once was lost, myself now found Was fooled, but now I see. T’was to fight that taught our hearts of fear Yet to fight do fears relieve The wretched’s choir did then arise A new world to be the prize. Max Lane, May, […]

Calendar Update: May-June

May 4: Radicalism and the labour movement 10 years after Suharto, seminar presentation, School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Victoria University Melbourne. More May-June events in Melbourne and Amsterdam:

Poem: Becak Driver

Calf muscles bulging, hard, straight Wheels peddles backbone straining great One whole family seated under the roof His foot on the peddle whirling, or is it a hoof?   The grimace while he bargains The sad smile as he counts his gains The laughter as they smoke kretek together Men, poverty’s burden to the peddle […]

Palestina Palestine: Poem: THE WALL

WALL   Long.  Thick. Grey. Dark. Tall. Ugly, dirty, casting cold shadows this wall. Stealing land, stealing rights, stealing life Not damming, but provoking strife   It zigs and zags and curls and snakes Land and home and farm, it takes and takes A moat for fortresses defending wealth Perched on hilltops denizens of stealth […]

Sajak sejarah

Kaya. Kaya sekali. Kaya betul. Kaya tak terhingga. Sebab dan akibat berturut-turut menjelma menjadi asal-usul. Jalan balik ikuti peristiwa tak juga ke tujuan final akan singgah Orang dan peristiwa, perkembangan dan aksi, perubahan selalu menyusul. Kaya. Kaya sekali. Kaya betul. Kekayaan tak terbayang. Ummat manusia memiliki masa lalu, diketahui menjadi sejarah Sejarah membuka asal usul […]

Sajak Besok

Selesai Diatas kasur berbaring sang tubuh Capek Otak masih aksi sampai subuh Berita Warna-warni massa aksi di TV disaksi Buruh Nama kelas kita! hati berapi-api bereaksi Besok Uang berkuasa, kok tak berubah-rubah? Tidak! Semakin kita ngotot, semakin banyak akan terus mencoba Tidur Indah anak-anak nyenyak, kecuali digigit tikus Pagi Teh, kerja, tenang, mikir, hitung – […]

Sajak Tabik

Bungkuk, bungkuk, bungkuk tambal ban Jari hindar jarum duduk berjam-jam bahu menegang Biji, insektisida, pupuk kecapekan hasilkan makanan Kapur diatas papan mendidik, map dan formulir melancarkan logistik Las nyala, truk terisi, eletroknik dirakit, barang keluar pabrik Tangan bergandeng, bertemu di lapangan, mata satu arah: tabik!