A Poet Once More
I found strands of your hair, Melva, in Karang Setra
On the smooth ceramic floor. I always think of you
When I see ads for soap, shampoo, and toothpaste
Or dangdut singers on the tv.
Now, alone in this hotel, I feel myself to be
A poet once more. The intoxicating scent of your perfume
Slipping suddenly through the bathroom door
Attacks me like lines of poetry.
You know, Melva, words always make me tremble
And the strange scents from your nape, neck, and armpits
Have now turned into words.Now, alone in this hotel, I feel myself to be
A poet once more. I carefully place the brown strands of hair
On the table, alongside the papers,
The cigarettes, and the cup of coffee. And then,
Still feeling your lips on my mouth
Your voice still filling my ears and mind, I write a poem.
Remembering the color of your shoes,
Your underwear, your bra, and the belt
You once left beneath the bed
As a way of saying goodbye, I write a poem.No, Melva, a poet is not sad for being abandoned
Or from the pain because in the end such things do pass
The poet does not weep for being betrayed
Or fall unconscious because his mouth has been silenced
A poet does not die from his words’ loss of strength
Or because his powerful words will have turned into prose:
Becoming, for instance, unending war
Hijackings, plane crashes, floods, and earthquakes
Or, for instance, the never-ending corruption of this country
The mayhem, the looting, the rapes, or whateverIt’s just that I am alone here and feel myself to be a poet once more
Menjadi Penyair Lagi
Melva, di Karang Setra, kutemukan helai-helai ratnbutmu
Di lantai keramik yang licin. Aku selalu terkenang kepadamu
Sedap melihat iklan sabun, shampo atau pasta gigi
Atau setiap menyaksikan penyanyi dangdut di televisi
Kini aku sendirian di hotel ini dan merasa
Menjadi penyair lagi. Bau parfummu yang memabukkan
Tiba-tiba menyelinap lewat pintu kamar mandi
Dan menyerbuku bagaikan baris-baris puisi
Kau tahu, Melva, aku selalu gemetar oleh kata-kata
Sedang bau aneh dari tengkuk, leher dan ketiakmu itu
Telah menjelmakan kata-kata jugaKini aku sendirian di hotel ini dan merasa
Menjadi penyair lagi. Helai-helai rambutmu yang kecoklatan
Kuletakkan dengan hati-hati di atas meja
Bersama kertas, rokok dan segelas kopi. Lalu kutulis puisi
Ketika kurasakan bibirmu masih tersimpan di mulutku
Ketika suaramu masih memenuhi telinga dan pikiranku
Kutulis puisi sambil mengingat-ingat warna sepatu
Celana dalam, kutang serta ikat pinggangmu
Yang dulu kautinggalkan di bawah ranjang
Sebagai ucapan selamat tinggalTidak, Melva, penyair tidak sedih karena ditinggalkan
Juga tidak sakit karena akhirnya selalu dikalahkan
Penyair tidak menangis karena dikhianati
Juga tidak pingsan karena mulutnya dibungkam
Penyair akan mati apabila kehilangan tenaga kata-kata
Atau kata-kata saktinya berubah menjadi prosa:
Misalkan peperangan yang tak henti-hentinya
Pembajakan, pesawat jatuh, banjir atau gempa bumi
Misalkan korupsi yang tak habis-habisnya di negeri ini
Kerusuhan, penjarahan, perkosaan atau semacamnyaO, aku sendirian di sini dan merasa menjadi penyair lagi
English translation by John H. McGlynn
- 115: SPACE
with A Sometimes
114: NO THEME 13
with J Toledo & C Tse
113: INVISIBLE WALLS
with A Walker & D Disney
112: TREAT
with T Dearborn
111: BABY
with S Deo & L Ferney
110: POP!
with Z Frost & B Jessen
109: NO THEME 12
with C Maling & N Rhook
108: DEDICATION
with L Patterson & L Garcia-Dolnik
107: LIMINAL
with B Li
106: OPEN
with C Lowe & J Langdon
105: NO THEME 11
with E Grills & E Stewart
104: KIN
with E Shiosaki
103: AMBLE
with E Gomez and S Gory
102: GAME
with R Green and J Maxwell
101: NO THEME 10
with J Kinsella and J Leanne
100: BROWNFACE
with W S Dunn
99: SINGAPORE
with J Ip and A Pang
97 & 98: PROPAGANDA
with M Breeze and S Groth
96: NO THEME IX
with M Gill and J Thayil
95: EARTH
with M Takolander
94: BAYT
with Z Hashem Beck
93: PEACH
with L Van, G Mouratidis, L Toong
92: NO THEME VIII
with C Gaskin
91: MONSTER
with N Curnow
90: AFRICAN DIASPORA
with S Umar
89: DOMESTIC
with N Harkin
88: TRANSQUEER
with S Barnes and Q Eades
87: DIFFICULT
with O Schwartz & H Isemonger
86: NO THEME VII
with L Gorton
85: PHILIPPINES
with Mookie L and S Lua
84: SUBURBIA
with L Brown and N O'Reilly
83: MATHEMATICS
with F Hile
82: LAND
with J Stuart and J Gibian
81: NEW CARIBBEAN
with V Lucien
80: NO THEME VI
with J Beveridge
57.1: EKPHRASTIC
with C Atherton and P Hetherington
57: CONFESSION
with K Glastonbury
56: EXPLODE
with D Disney
55.1: DALIT / INDIGENOUS
with M Chakraborty and K MacCarter
55: FUTURE MACHINES
with Bella Li
54: NO THEME V
with F Wright and O Sakr
53.0: THE END
with P Brown
52.0: TOIL
with C Jenkins
51.1: UMAMI
with L Davies and Lifted Brow
51.0: TRANSTASMAN
with B Cassidy
50.0: NO THEME IV
with J Tranter
49.1: A BRITISH / IRISH
with M Hall and S Seita
49.0: OBSOLETE
with T Ryan
48.1: CANADA
with K MacCarter and S Rhodes
48.0: CONSTRAINT
with C Wakeling
47.0: COLLABORATION
with L Armand and H Lambert
46.1: MELBOURNE
with M Farrell
46.0: NO THEME III
with F Plunkett
45.0: SILENCE
with J Owen
44.0: GONDWANALAND
with D Motion
43.1: PUMPKIN
with K MacCarter
43.0: MASQUE
with A Vickery
42.0: NO THEME II
with G Ryan
41.1: RATBAGGERY
with D Hose
41.0: TRANSPACIFIC
with J Rowe and M Nardone
40.1: INDONESIA
with K MacCarter
40.0: INTERLOCUTOR
with L Hart
39.1: GIBBERBIRD
with S Gory
39.0: JACKPOT!
with S Wagan Watson
38.0: SYDNEY
with A Lorange
37.1: NEBRASKA
with S Whalen
37.0: NO THEME!
with A Wearne
36.0: ELECTRONICA
with J Jones