Ruby - Astari Boedikoentjara
It’s true, I guess
Ignorance is bliss
Your life is perfect
How come they don’t get that?
Why is it always bad?
I've been transported back in time
something familiar
yet also bizarre
the same old Twilight Zone
with the same old Culture of Silence
I heard your voice outside
the window that night
You were talking to her
The Ex-Guardian of The Isolated Castle
I heard my name mentioned...
The crowd has never looked so treacherous.
Nobody’s being serious
when it comes to dealing with the virus.
They simply group,
like hopeful fans for some photoshoots,
No signs of warning.
Everything was fine.
A face smiling,
sincere and kind.
A picture-perfect romance,
He bares his straight, white teeth for a smile
as he greets me with his shy “Hello”,
while I politely nod as I go.
His dark complexion slightly glistens
under the Jakarta morning sun.
I can never really get rid of you,
can I?
No matter what I do
or how I should often lie
while trying hard not to cry
I'm denying my natural rights to fall apart
This world always demands a fight
with all my might
I don't always know
the next levels I should go
It’s that rare ability
to push aside your emotions
Lock them all within
so you’re left to feel nothing
Voices of the worried
A strange dream about you
We were on an open field,
when I heard you say:
“Here’s where I buried
some older parts of me.”
Go ahead and ask me
to write you something happy
as I stare at a page so empty
I can write something trivial
mundane, daily activities
Have I put myself on exile for too long,
that solitude no longer feels wrong?
Just hollow,
a vacant space without a vibrant soul.
I’m afraid to forget