Mother's tanka

how can i not be blue
my mom called and cried
for missing me
and so did my son
for his missing toy

bagaimana bisa tersenyum
di telepon ibuku menangis
katanya kangen aku
sedang anakku merengek
kehilangan mainan

Planting onion tanka

i plant an onion
and wish
may it sprout soon
a day after
my fathers demise

kutanam bawang
sembari berharap
segera tumbuh tunas
sehari setelah
kematian ayah

Peeling onion tanka

revisiting our past
i eventually realize
how hard you tried
to smile for me
while you're peeling onion

mengenang masa lalu
kusadari juga akhirnya
sesulit apapun kau coba
tersenyum kepadaku
sambil mengupas bawang

Exfoliated stories haiku

stories exfoliated
pine trees on the roadside
are you still there?

aku mencarimu
kisah-kisah terkelupas
dari batang cemara tepi jalan

Pavement tanka

a junction
where we shared dreams
cement blocks
layered over the pavement
just like lies

di simpang yang sibuk
kita pernah berbagi cerita
blok-blok semen
menutup permukaan aspal
laiknya dusta

At the boulevard tanka

dawn returns
to boulevard seeing
those pines collecting the dews
where do you head for
only time will tell

pagi selalu ingin kembali
ke bulevar menyaksikan embun
berkumpul pada pucuk-pucuk pinus
ke mana kau menuju
biar kutunggu dua tiga windu

Free falling haiku

jakarta sky
the night free falling

malam terjun bebas
dari langit jakarta

Mirror twin haiku

before the mirror
i wish i were not one
of the twin

di depan cermin
aku berharap tidak menjadi
anak kembar

Nigori sake haiku

across rice field
after harvest, we share
nigori sake

melintasi ladang padi
selepas panen, kami berbagi
sake nigori

Owl's song haiku

motor engines
imitate the owl’s song
:jakarta dusk

mesin-mesin motor
meniru nyanyian burung hantu
:senja jakarta

Lonely traveller haiku

clear sky
over sand dunes
are you travelling alone?

langit kosong
melintasi gumuk pasir
perjalanan sendiri?

Hope floats haiku

like a cloud
my hope floats
will it be rain?

bagai awan
harapanku melayang
akankah jadi hujan?

Watching kabuki haiku

before the tv
she squints her eyes
watching kabuki

matanya memicing
di depan tv
nonton kabuki

May rain haiku

may rain
every single drop tells
about june

hujan mei
setiap titik bercerita
tentang juni

Zero-return investment haiku

zero-return investment
her letter under my pillow

investasi gagal
suratnya di bawah bantal

Season shift haiku

season shift
a birdnest on the roadside
stalking the monsoon

pergantian musim
sarang burung di sisi jalan
menguntit hujan

One less haiku

night alone
billions of stars
one less

malam sendirian
miliaran bintang-bintang
kurang satu

Planting tobacco haiku

planting tobacco he doesn't stop smoking

menanam tembakau dia terus saja merokok

Smell of ashes haiku

morning dew
lingers on tobacco leaves
smell of ashes

embun bergelayut
di dedaunan tembakau
bau terbakar

Fishless pond haiku

morning drizzle
new pond in the frontyard
fishless

pagi gerimis
kolam baru di halaman
tanpa ikan

Screaming baby haiku

a baby
screams to the daybreak
:morning chill

bayi
menjerit kepada fajar
:gigil di kulit

Floating fog haiku

floating fog--
love on the window glass
vertical flip

kabut mengambang
cinta di kaca jendela
terputar balik