Mehta haibun

Time passes by, the wind swings gently the lightbulb hanging on the ceiling. Tomorrow will be a long journey, my eyes wide awake. My monitor dims to safe the battery. I can't decide; stay awake for nothing, get some sleep or get back to my work.

crickets and gekko
a cowbell and whispering wind
where's Mehta?

Malam merayap, angin mengayun bola lampu yang tergantung di langit-langit. Perjalanan besok akan panjang, mataku tak mau memejam. Layar komputerku meredup untuk menghemat baterai. Fikiranku terpental-pental; sekadar begadang, mencoba tidur atau menyelesaikan pekerjaan sisa tadi siang.

jengkerik dan tokek
kelonongan sapi dan angin lalu
di mana Mehta?

Night make up haiku

silent pond
night make up on her face
the orion

kolam diam
riasan malam di wajahnya
bintang belantik*

Harry's haiku*

troubled life
show me how to safe myself
will you, Harry?

hidup sulit
ajari aku cara untuk lepas
maukah, Harry?

*A homage to Harry Houdini. Today is his 137th birthday.

Southerly wind haiku

1/
harvest moon
what did you plant
in fukushima?

bulan kesorean
apa yang dulu kau tanam
di fukushima?

2/
southerly wind
her back bends with
the bamboo grove

angin selatan
ia membungkuk searah
gerumbul bambu

3/
full moon
goes down the cascade in bits
fishes wide awake

bulan penuh
kepingannya meniti pancuran
ikan-ikan tak tidur

Vincent's haiku

1/
lonely night stroll
a distant chant in the breeze
Starry starry night

jalam malam sendiri
angin lembut membisikkan
Starry starry night

2/
undying star
in the garden of irises
a man named Vincent

bintang abadi
di taman iris
lelaki itu Vincent

*Homage to Don McLean and Vincent van Gogh

Heavenly bodies haiku

1/
starry sky
my neighbor's guitar play
reverbs low notes

langit berbintang
suara gitar tetangga
penuh nada rendah

2/
moonlight saint
shining streetlights
and white haloes

santa sinar bulan
lampu-lampu jalan menyala
dan halo putih

3/
leaning back
in my folding chair
moon in the puddle

duduk bersandar
di kursi lipatku
bulan di comberan

4/
empty coffee cup
and stains on my table cloth
the trail of supermoon

cangkir kopi kosong
dan bercak di taplak meja
jejak super moon

5/
mars and venus
where do i come from
my boy's inquiry

mars dan venus
dari mana asal muasalku
anakku bertanya

Layla haiku

midnight
a cellphone rings
Layla

tengah malam
sebuah telepon genggam
berdering Layla

Tremor haiku

close attachment
from tv screen to my skin
the tremor crawling

kuat terikat
dari layar tv ke kulitku
getar merayap

Tidal wave haiku

tidal waves..
cherry blossoms fall
to the coldest night

gelombang tinggi...
bunga sakura rontok
ke dingin malam

Gad falls asleep haiku

japan tsunami
short question in my prayer
god, falling asleep?

Veterans day haiku

veterans day
a fly dies
a week old

hari veteran
seekor lalat mati
umur sepekan

Afternoon rhapsody haiku

afternoon rhapsody
perpetual cry of
cicadas

rapsodi siang
garengpung di dahan turi
terus berdengung

Tremor and poetry book tanka

I've learned about
the meaning of being alone
if only you're here
you'd know my new friends
a tremor and a poetry book

sudah kupelajari
arti hidup menyendiri
jika kau ada
kenalilah teman-teman baruku
tremor dan buku puisi

Stitching your scarf tanka

you know
how quiet it would be
my hands
shiver as i start
stitching your scarf

kau pasti tahu
betapa sepi jadinya
kedua tanganku
gemetar saat kumulai
merenda scarfmu

Delayed wedding haiga

Feeding the koi haiku

it hurts
to think about the break up
i'm feeding the koi

menyakitkan
berfikir tentang perpisahan
aku memberi makan koi

Abandoned gardens tanka

oh sparrows...
singing in distant field
where rice grows
i write poetry about
abandoned gardens

burung-burung emprit
berkicau nun di ladang
di mana padi tumbuh
aku menulis puisi tentang
taman-taman yang telantar

Streetlight haiku

streetlight
shines thru pine branches
crickets hideout

lampu jalan
menorobos ranting pinus
liang jangkrik