Ruby - Astari Boedikoentjara
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.
A house, a family
Material things
Everything’s lovely
All the joy they bring
Will they always represent ‘home’?
The generation gap:
“They’re just little kids,
so young and still stupid.
Another episode
an inner push to an automatic mode
a buzzing chainsaw in my ears
My vision wasn’t crystal-clear
It was the same old alien
You don’t know me well enough
especially to live my life
to make such short-sighted assumptions.
That’s okay, though.
Everyone’s entitled to their own opinions,
no matter how flawed.
Perhaps you’re one of the little kids
dreaming of becoming superheroes
saving the world
wherever they go
Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
I met a monster
who said all the right words
sweet and convincing
making me believe
we had something
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,
There's no amnesty granted
unless well-paid
Reach deeply into your pockets
until perhaps,
their eyeballs jump out of their sockets
We can still see each other,
thanks to the webcam on our computers
or hear each other on our phones.
Still,
some things are irreplacable.
How do I let you go?
They wonder if I’m in denial.
I’m not putting up on a show,
just you – on a pedestal.
I was glad to see you that night.
You may complain
about the rain
It’s hard to go home
without getting drenched
Nights are long
The city traffic’s a bitch
