Ruby - Astari Boedikoentjara
It turns out
a decade and more
are still not enough
to know you as a whole.
I can still see the beauty in your soul,
Bright lights, late at night
from the city streets so quiet
He woke up in a daze
with blood on his face
his memories erased.
Welcome to reality
Again, this is how you're supposed to be
No more stupid sentimentality
It only makes you one weakling, cry-baby
They say speaking up is important
No break for you now,
‘though it seems unfair somehow
You have to keep on working,
no matter how exhausting
Others with less or zero effort
When you're gone
I wish for another day with you
Impossible but it's true
No one is ever ready for such news
The secondhand poem
you once wrote for me
now used to woo another lady
Boy, you’re so lazy!
If she knew the backstory,
she’d be displeased
I've been transported back in time
something familiar
yet also bizarre
the same old Twilight Zone
with the same old Culture of Silence
INTRO:
Welcome to the class of life.
Experience is your teacher.
Here's your lesson:
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
This ain’t no desperation
I’m just contemplating
weighing my options
seriously considering
Yes, we don’t get to choose
You can never stop time
but there’s an illusion of a pause
Turn off the phone
Close all the windows
Lock all your doors
Lie down
It’s the environment
I’d rather not be in
full of such impossible demands
and scolding remarks
for my lack of perfection