Ruby - Astari Boedikoentjara
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
There’s a thin, fine line
between being lazy
and experiencing lethargy
I feel I’ve been half-awake
Perhaps it’s too much coffee
I think my heart’s been beyond broken
by Israeli Zionists’ atrocities.
I want freedom in Palestine,
so there’ll be no more misery.
No highlights for 2023.
“How do I catch monsters?”
I’m probably one of the many girls
who asks such a question.
They’re welcomed to wonder:
“Why do you wish to catch any monsters?
No, she’s not just asleep.
She’s not even fainted.
Can’t you tell that she’s already dead?
It takes more than countless tries to shake her awake..
You can’t even make her snap out of it.
INTRO:
Welcome to the class of life.
Experience is your teacher.
Here's your lesson:
Sssh...
Hear the silence.
Listen.
You may not have before
Too busy talking
delivering demands
Oh, how we long for you to be
returning home, still healthy
after having sailed away
leaving us waiting by the bay.
The vast ocean hasn’t shown
No more magic?
Why vacant as it is?
Who took all of it?
Nothing to pick.
Dementors have resided,
I’m surprised with how long you’re still alive,
despite being sluggish
a king in an imaginary castle
That’s quite a jigsaw puzzle
It’s not all about you
Perhaps you secretly wish I’d talk to you
the way I used to
like I fear silently
whether you’ll really listen to me
or just give me some more scrutiny
Mommy, I'm scared
We've talked about this before
briefly, but I was still being straight
to the point that worries you more
Mommy, I'm still scared