Geriatric ward tanka chain

1/
how boring it is
to be here in G-ward
i make myself busy
with watching baby birds
learning to fly

sungguh membosankan
tinggal di klinik jompo
aku menyibukkan diri
memperhatikan anak-anak burung
belajar terbang

2/
same meal
same taste
dear chef,
does your recipe
read like a poetry?

menu yang sama
citarasa yang sama
wahai juru masak
apakah resepmu terbaca
seperti puisi?

3/
please, don't hesitate
to reach me
you spend too much time
trickling down thru'
the infuse line

jangan ragu
untuk menyentuhku
kau habiskan terlalu banyak waktu
menetes, mengalir lewat
selang infus

Warm camellia haiku

warm camellia
sensation from the last encounter
stains my napkin

teh hijau hangat
getar dari pertemuan terakhir
membekas di serbet

Justified killing tanka

my breakfast milk
spills along microscopic trail
are you justified
to take live to save
live

susu sarapanku
melimpah sepanjang jejak renik
bolehkah
membunuh untuk
menyelamatkan nyawa

Ant haiku 8

an ant drowned
in my breakfast milk
the banyan stands still

semut tenggelam
di gelas susuku
batang beringin diam

Falling dusk haiku

dusk...
cold air hardens
the rocks

senja...
dingin mengeraskan
batubatu

Ant haiku 7

infamous words
from the last fight
ant on my tongue

kalimat yang buruk
dari pertengkaran semalam
semut di lidahku

Ant haiku 6

wandering ant
a wayward childhood
flashing

semut kelana....
masa kanak-kanak yang badung
melintas cepat

Uninvited guest haiku

uninvited guest
the wind blows a pine cone
along the corridor

tamu tak diundang
angin menyepak bunga pinus
sepanjang selasar

Illegal alien haiku

illegal alien
amongst the pine branches
mistletoe blooms

pendatang haram
di antara ranting pinus
bunga benalu mekar

Ant haiku 5

don't tell me
not to bite more than i can chew
:ant's life

jangan cegah aku
menggigit terlalu besar
:kehidupan semut

Ant haiku 4

sudden downpour--
a dead grasshopper remains
untouched

hujan dadakan--
seekor belalang mati
tak tersentuh

Duck roast haiku

duck roast--
splashes from the pond
reach my dining room

bebek panggang--
suara percikan dari kolam
sampai ke meja makan

Ant haiku 3

slippery and steep
this long road ahead
tiny red spot on my knees

licin dan terjal
jalan panjang di depan
titik merah mungil di lututku

Ant haiku 2

her sweetest smile
disappears instantly
an ant take over her tongue

senyumnya yang manis
tiba-tiba ilang
ada semut di lidahnya

Ant haiku 1

overburdened, eh...
what's worth complaining
for an ant?

kelebihan beban, ya..
apanya yang kudu dikeluhkan
oleh seekor semut?

Ceaseless wind tanka

ceaseless mountain wind
rubs the windowpane
i sigh..
slightly move my chair
to keep up with the moon


angin gunung
terus saja mengusap jendela
aku mendesah...
sedikit menggeser kursi
kembali terpaku pada bulan

Lonesome dinner tanka

so wide is the sky
as those cranes fly home
quietly
i catch minnows
for a lonesome dinner


oh luasnya langit
saat burung bangau pulang
dengan diam
aku menangkap ikan-ikan kecil
untuk makan malam sendirian

Younger Dylan tanka

feeling the age
crawling under my skin
what's in afterlife
i wish for a guitar
and younger Dylan

aku merasa
makin tua saja
di kehidupan setelah mati
semoga ada gitar
dan Dylan muda

*Thank to Kirsty Karkow, my fellow poet in Tanka@yahoogroups.com