Silent race haiku chain

(1)
voice on the microphone
freezes the daybreak
a neighbor dies

suara corong toa
saat fajar menggigil
ada tetangga mati

(2)
rainclouds overhead
and the funeral
silently racing

mendung menggantung
dan pemakaman itu
berpacu diam-diam

(3)
smell the roses six feet under

membaui mawar dari dalam kubur

A crow returns haiku

a crow returns
to it's own shadow
saturday evening

gagak pulang
ke bayangannya sendiri--
sabtu sore

Potted blues haiku

potted blues
downpour
on a desert rose

blues dalam pot
sebatang adenium
mandi hujan

After the race haiku

after the race
a mimosa sleeps
by the track

usai balapan
sebatang putri malu kuncup
dekat lintasan

Owl's cry haiku

owl's cry
dims the candle light
in a black out

nyanyian burung hantu
meredupkan nyala lilin
saat mati lampu

Counting stars haiku

night out
my boy counts the stars
with his fingers

keluar malam
anak lelakiku menghitung bintang
dengan jari tangannya

Mimosa haiku

lullaby from heaven
evening drizzle falls
on the mimosa

ninabobo dari langit
putri malu menadah
gerimis sore

Superficial lie haiku

superficial lie
hovering under the branches
:paper birds

dusta yang nyata
melayang di bawah rerimbunan
:burung-burung kertas

Halfway to funeral haiku

moos
a cow on the roadside
halfway to funeral

melenguh
seekor sapi di tepi jalan
menuju pemakaman

Moo haiku

wake me up
before the sun
a cow moos

lenguhan sapi
membangunkanku
mendahului matahari

Star in waiting haiku

crescent moon
fifteen days to go
a star in waiting

bulan sabit
satu bintang menanti
lima belas hari

Miss the lightning haiku

light rain
do the corn seeds miss
the lightning?

hujan rintik
benih-benih jagung
merindu petir?

Mother's voice haiku

cricket song
how familiar it is
my mother's voice

Ambrosia, issue 5 Summer 2010

Weaverbird haiku

weaverbird's nest
a bit closer to my reach
:remnant of the last rain

sarang manyar
menggantung lebih rendah
:sisa hujan semalam

Fall out teeth haiku

fall out teeth--
do you last longer
than death?

gigi tanggal
lebih awet daripada
kematian?

Caress of nights haiku

feeling you
the caress of nights
on crow's feather

merasakanmu
seribu malam mengusap
bulu gagak

Bad dream haiku

awaken
from bad dream, why
feel so incomplete

terbangun
dari mimpi buruk, entah kenapa
rasanya ada yang kurang

Pillow talk tanka

you don't know
how hard it is to master
since you've been away
talking only
to my pillow

kau tak akan mengerti
betapa sulit bagiku
semenjak kau menjauh
bercakap-cakap
dengan bantal

Humble love tanka

should I apologize
for letting it go thru
my weary head
a humble love
that reaches you?

mestikah aku minta maaf
karena membiarkannya lolos
lewat benakku yang letih
cinta sederhana
yang menggapaimu?

Sour tamarind haiku

tell me
how it feels to be
sour tamarind


ceritakan kepadaku
seperti apa rasanya menjadi
asam kecut

Night extends haiku

daybreak--
a crow
extends the night

fajar--
seekor gagak
mengulur malam