A Drifter and His Haiku

Pine cone haiga

2012-01-31T00:11:00.001+07:00

First collaborative work with Irvan Kristanto

Night rain

2012-01-30T21:09:00.000+07:00

between
me and freezing rain
dad's old sarong

Another drop of water haiga

2012-01-20T23:39:00.000+07:00

Distant storm haiga

2012-01-20T20:26:00.001+07:00

My haiga appears in Daily Haiga, January 20, 2012

Uphill drive haiku

2012-01-19T08:56:00.000+07:00

uphill drive
sudden downpour of
dragonflies

Pole dancing haiga

2012-01-11T15:41:00.001+07:00

Eagle's cry haiga

2012-01-09T11:19:00.003+07:00

Another haiga of mine, published in Daily Haiga, January 9, 2012. The image was originally taken in Bukit Bangkirai, Samboja, Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, minutes away from the Canopy Bridge, 2007.

Lost in light haiga

2012-01-02T19:42:00.000+07:00

Sent to me some months back, the image keeps haunting me. One out of many images Bambang N Karim produced for me, this image has been there in my hard disk for months. I eventually find the words for the haiga;

lost in light

my heart mind soul

here lie under

a grassblade bends for

the damselfly

Weathered traveller haiga

2011-12-29T11:50:00.000+07:00

First collaboration with Abmi Handayani

Spring breeze haiga

2011-12-20T17:20:00.002+07:00

A piece of my Macintosh Haiga Project

House of light haiga

2011-12-10T00:13:00.001+07:00

First collaboration with my fellow photographer Denies Senopranoto.

The heat haiga

2011-12-09T16:53:00.000+07:00

Another collaborative work with Bambang N. Karim, appears on Notes from The Gean 3;3, December 2011

Window view haiku

2011-12-09T11:42:00.001+07:00

window view--
unseen song of the
singing birds

Shaking she-oak haiga

2011-12-05T22:00:00.001+07:00

My fellow sketcher Pakcik Ahmad posted his work on my haiku discussion group. It is usually a challenge to most of members who is interested in haiku/haiga exercise. And I responded with my words

Frog song haiku

2011-12-05T18:09:00.001+07:00

frog song
her last farewell
in evening drizzle

In fading rain haiku

2011-12-05T18:08:00.001+07:00

in fading rain
the frog song gets
louder

If only haiku

2011-12-05T18:06:00.001+07:00

if only
Basho were here
frogsong

Torrential rain haiku

2011-12-05T18:04:00.001+07:00

torrential rain
once I wish it were
snowflakes

Moonless night haiku

2011-12-05T01:00:00.001+07:00

moonless night
even my shadow refuses
to walk with me

Mandala haiga

2011-12-01T21:28:00.000+07:00

Along with "cerebral palsy" this haiga was previously submitted to Notes from The Gean. Due to editorial changes, Mellinda Hipple returned this back to me. She then, started to work on new online journal A Hundred Gourds and asked me if I were interested in submitting this to AHG. And, voila! It appears in A Hundred Gourds Vol. 1;1.

Cerebral palsy haiga

2011-12-01T21:25:00.000+07:00

First published in A Hundred Gourds Vol. 1;1

Traffic light haiku quartet

2011-11-25T14:05:00.001+07:00

1/
green light--
a glimpse of a little girl
holding her tambourine

2/
green light--
fading reverb of her
tambourine

3/
at the traffic light
discerning the sound of
different colors

4/
busy junction
her tambourine glistens with
unknown song

Cigarette butt haiga

2011-11-24T17:56:00.001+07:00

Samsara haiku

2011-11-22T17:13:00.001+07:00

1/
samsara...
holding his breath as deep
as he bows

2/
shaking she-oak..
the way she tightens the straps
of her bikini

Gloomy afternoon haiku

2011-11-22T16:24:00.001+07:00

afternoon gloom...
a lady at the reception
fakes her smile

siang yang kelam...
senyuman palsu
resepsionis

Flight of the herons haiga

2011-11-14T03:00:00.001+07:00

First collaborative work with Teguh Santosa. Now I look forward to seeing another good piece of his. The haibun is already published on this blog but I just couldn't help myself when I saw this image.

Sharing the silence

2011-11-10T23:28:00.001+07:00

the bamboo grove and I
surrender to the silence
this cold evening

Ponytail girl tanka

2011-11-10T15:42:00.002+07:00

swiftly
out of the mist
ponytail girl
as if i didn't see her
yesterday

Morning bliss

2011-11-10T15:41:00.000+07:00

morning bliss
songbird from the cherry tree
sounds like Norah

No return haiga

2011-11-06T14:06:00.000+07:00

Never enough dancing haiku

2011-11-04T15:39:00.000+07:00

never enough dancing
satintails to whispering wind
this steppe was

Racing homeward haiga

2011-11-03T16:56:00.000+07:00

The sand of Nanganesa haibun

2011-11-03T15:50:00.000+07:00

Nothing changed after two months as I step my feet back in the sand of Nanganesa beach.
They are there where they were; the cliff, the trees and fishing boats. The sky, too. Don't they move just a little somewhere?
Nothing changed. But this nothingness.

over

the sound
of waves—

the sound
of wave

Morning rush haiga

2011-11-03T03:33:00.004+07:00

Degrees of separation haibun

2011-10-26T00:00:00.000+07:00

In my hand is her memo telling me that she decided to leave our house. No need to re-read it, I already knew from the very beginning that it will happen. Sooner or later. But it shocked me, still.

more unused hangers
in the wardrobe--
her scent

Beach haiku

2011-10-25T23:02:00.000+07:00

‎1/
wave-washed sand castle--
the fading warmth of
your laughter

2/
i know, dear
you were stars last night
pebbles on the beach

3/
barefooted--
knowing why the left
deeper in the sand

Four sound of wave haiku

2011-10-21T14:00:00.002+07:00

1/
the sound of wave
over the sound of wave
over the sound of waves

2/
the sound
of
wave

over

the sound
of
waves

3/
over

the sound
of waves--

the sound
of wave

4/
after
the sound
of wave

the sound
of

another
waves

Sunday paper haiga

2011-10-15T12:14:00.000+07:00

Image; Selected ramdomly by PhotoEffectsLite for Mac, pinched and gamma adjusted

Pile of dust haiga

2011-10-11T18:58:00.001+07:00

http://notesfromthegean.com/archives/sept-2011/haiga/haiga_001.html

Changing shape of clouds haibun

2011-10-11T18:33:00.001+07:00

Just figured out, after hours from dinner, a new way to sip my coffee.

the moon, and i too

enjoy the changing shape

of clouds

Dead leaves tanka

2011-10-10T02:45:00.001+07:00

1/
listen to goodbyes
as dead leaves off the branches
and i hear you weep
for the waves leaving the shore
or the words you cannot keep?

2/
when it was the rain
fell on the plain where
lambs are grassing
writing a poetry 'bout love
more about drifting clouds

3/
pray for rain
you whisper as we walk
across the plain
october breeze hisses
the echo from desolate moor

Jack-in-the-box haibun

2011-09-23T18:13:00.000+07:00

I slowly return to my full concsciousness. My senses are back, quickly map out the surroundings and produce a graphic representation on my mind screen; a 3x2 meter windowless wooden cabin, red mahogany, the floor lifted inches above the ground.

Outside of the cabin is completely mental darkness; nothing my senses can fathom but the smell of dust trapped between the logs stacked to erect the wall structure.

jack-in-the-box
even beating heart
in silent mode

The light slips thru a tiny leak on the ceiling intensifies and falls on my face. It’s the only light illuminates this room, too weak to light up anything around me. Sunlight? It probably is as my skin feels the heat it radiates on my skin. But, still, I doubt my own guess.

discerning
darkness between lights
complete desolation

Pale moon haiku

2011-09-21T20:42:00.000+07:00

‎1/
pale moon
piercing my window glass
owl's cry

2/
dark window glass
how far is it from here
to cricket song?

Umbra haiga

2011-09-15T02:42:00.000+07:00

http://www.dailyhaiga.org/haiga-archives/799/-umbra-by-wahyu-basjir-indonesia

Whereabouts in the sky

2011-08-27T10:13:00.002+07:00

whereabouts in the sky
my heart beats in silence
fireworks crackling

di langit mana
jantungku hanya sunyi
dentam petasan

Satori; Chapter 20, haibun*

2011-08-21T21:08:00.000+07:00

Men are fools, Solange thought as she left the house in Tokyo.
A few tears, a sparkle of en eye, the twitch of a hip, and their brains are as easily turned off like an electrical switch.
Haverford was smarter than most, just as blind.
Like the rest, he sees what he wants to see and nothing more.
Nicholai, on the other hand..
Dommage.
What a shame.

lanterns in the breeze
in her mind, darkness and light
darkness and light

*The prose excerpted from Don Winslow's Satori, Grand Central Publishing, June 2011

Satori haibun

2011-08-21T08:18:00.006+07:00

After Haverford left, Solange turned to Nicholai and asked, "Does it bother you?"
"What?"
"That I was a prostitute."
The question surprised him, " It's an honorable profession in Japan."
"It isn't in France."
"I'm not french," Nicholai said, "There's nothing about you that I find to be anything but delight, a joy, and an honor.
Solange came into his arms, kissed him lightly on the neck, and said softly, "I think I'm falling in love with you."

satori
from across the roji
fallen frangipani

"And I with you." His words surprised him as much as the actual emotion, something he had not felt for years, something he had taught himself never to feel again. It had been his experience that anyone he loved went away, usually through the portal of death.

in the cha-shitsu
the hiss of the kettle
between words

*The prose excerpted from Don Winslow's Satori, Grand Central Publishing, June 2011

Flight of the herons haibun

2011-08-18T10:52:00.003+07:00

Suite No. 132 is at the end of the hallway, where nothing but a wide thick transparent glass is between me and the open air. The warmth creeps on my skin and drives away the shiver as I momentarily let the sun bathe me with light.

I notice the amber in the west a second before three knocks on the door. “Please, come in,” a female voice reaches my eardrum from the inside.

She rises from her chair the moment I show my face at the door, and rushes for a formal handshake with me.

outside the window
the flight of white herons

Chanel no. 5

I knew it won’t be a meeting we usually had in old days. “It’s been long, and you know where it goes,” she said emotionlessly. Not commanding, just a bit colder than her please-come-in.

years lost

what’s within the perimeter

of her deeper voice

Sheer loneliness haiku triplet

2011-08-18T07:54:00.000+07:00

‎1/
lonely breakfast
a swan song
after the main dish

makan sahur
hidangan terakhir dengan
nyanyian angsa

2/
black coffee
the last sip of
solitude

kopi pahit
sesap terakhir
kesunyian

3/
sheer loneliness
the sediment in his cup
unspoken grief

sepi yang sangat
keluh tertahan mengendap
di dasar cangkir

Obituary for the koi

2011-08-11T16:08:00.000+07:00

Saya kerap menghabiskan waktu bersama Saleh Abdullah dengan memancing di kolam kecil di halaman belakang kantor. Di kolam yang kami bangun 4 tahun silam itu, hidup berbagai jenis ikan; bawal, tawes, nila, gurameh, cethul, patin, gabus dan lele. Kemarin sore, seekor koi menyambar umpan di ujung kail saya.

"Itu ikan pertama yang ditebar dikolam ini," kata Saleh. Ia menyebut ikan itu Sang Pembuka Jalan. Tentu, ia tak bermaksud memparodikan Tirtoadisuryo yang diceritakan dalam novel Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Sang Pemula. Ikan itu dimasukkan ke kolam untuk menguji apakah air sudah cukup sehat karena sebagian dindingnya terbuat dari semen, yang sering membuat air beracun bagi ikan. Dengan alasan itu, Saleh meminta saya melepaskan ikan koi itu kembali ke kolam.

Dua haiku terlampir lahir dari hubungan antara saya dan ikan koi itu. Haiku pertama saya tulis semalam dan sudah saya unggah lebih dulu di blog ini dan grup Damselflys's Lament di Facebook. Di bawah posting di grup itu, pada ruang komentar, Saleh menulis; "Pagi ini, di salah satu sudut kolam, koi itu mengambang: mati...."

Sore ini, saya menengok kolam tempat kami memancing kemarin. Benar juga, ikan koi itu --satu-satunya di kolam kami-- mengambang mati. Lalu lahir haiku kedua;

1/
sunny pond
the only koi moves
into my shadow

terik di kolam
satu-satunya koi
menuju bayanganku

2/
by the pond
his writing about the koi
an obit of three lines

di tepi kolam
catatannya untuk si koi
obituari tiga baris

Setelah ini, saya tidak tahu bagaimana mendapatkan ide menulis haiku dari seekor ikan koi.

Sunny pond haiku

2011-08-11T12:21:00.002+07:00

sunny pond

the only koi moves
into my shadow

terik di kolam
satu-satunya koi
menuju bayanganku

Early bird haibun

2011-08-10T21:06:00.000+07:00

Awakened by the chill early this morning, she gazes at the wall clock hung on her gray wall. No ticking sound she can hear. "I need some new batteries."

early bird
under the sheet
his aftershave

::
Dingin yang merayapi kulit membangunkannya dini hari itu. Matanya melirik jam di dinding yang kusam. Ia tak mendengar bunyi detik yang biasa ia dengar. "Ah, aku harus mengganti baterainya."

bangun awal
aroma aftershave
di balik sprei

Washing dishes tanka sequence

2011-08-07T21:35:00.001+07:00

1/
washing dishes
after a dinner for two
the hissing from the sink
sounds like nice words
we no longer mean to say

membersihkan piring
setelah makan malam berdua
desis dari pencucian
bagai kata-kata mesra
yang tak lagi kita ucapkan

2/
let me be
as she told me in anger
i noticed
the rose in the vase
withering petal by petal

tinggalkan aku
saat ia berucap marah
aku sadari
mawar dalam vas mengering
kelopak demi kelopak

3/
in my solitary garden
grasses mown last month
it's now overgrown
watered with hope and dreams
i can only let it go

di taman terasing
rumput yang dipotong bulan lalu
kini tumbuh liar
disiram harap dan impian
yang hanya bisa kuikhlaskan

Empty birdcage haiku

2011-08-06T10:43:00.001+07:00

empty birdcage
children's laughter pierces
my mossy wall

sangkar kosong
tawa anak-anak menembus
tembok berlumut

Visiting dad tanka

2011-08-05T11:53:00.000+07:00

visiting my dad
at his grave
it's deep enough
the hole I dug
to plant the rose

Haiku Pix Review No 3/Summer 2011

Withering leaves haiku

2011-08-05T01:46:00.001+07:00

withering leaves
seconds to count
till dusk

dedaunan kering
detik-detik yang tersisa
sebelum senja

Gone too soon haiga

2011-08-05T00:34:00.000+07:00

Looks brand new haiku

2011-07-31T15:32:00.000+07:00

it looks brand new
on the first day of Ramadhan
my old wristwatch

terlihat baru
di awal Ramadhan
arloji tuaku

Thunderbolt haiku

2011-07-31T14:45:00.001+07:00

thunderbolt--
i hold on the afterimage
for the echo

Biographical haiku

2011-07-30T14:23:00.002+07:00

december dawn

the clouds, the owls, the breeze

and a baby boy

i too, cows

on my first day at school

barefooted

o waning moon

if only i were the cat

the wayward one

puppy love

the poetry i wrote

about shooting star

5/*

it takes long

to get acquainted

my reflection and me

in my late dad's

old sarong

*Previously published.

She sweeps the lawn haiku

2011-07-30T13:20:00.002+07:00

she sweeps the lawn
for another falling leaves
the coming of ramadhan

Japan tsunami haiku-reposted with japanese translation

2011-07-29T11:22:00.007+07:00

I sent these haiku to Hidenori Hiruta, my fellow poet in Akita, Japan, to show my condolences and solidarity in the aftermath of Japan tsunami. Few days ago, he posted my works on his blog along with works of some other poets from around the world. Hiruta-san kindly translated and transliterated my works into kanji as seen below.

1/
japan tsunami
short question in my prayer
god, falling asleep?

tsunami jepang

aku bertanya dalam doa
tuhan, kau tertidur?

日本の津波

祈りの中で短い質問

神よ、眠っているの？

2/
close attachment
from tv screen to my skin
the tremor crawling

kuat terikat
dari layar tv ke kulitku
getar merayap

ごく近い付着
テレビの画面から私の皮膚へ
揺れがゆっくり進んでいる

3/
tidal waves..
cherry blossoms fall
to the coldest night

gelombang tinggi…
bunga sakura rontok
ke dingin malam

津波
桜の花が散る
一番寒い夜に

Tsunami haiku

2011-07-27T19:21:00.005+07:00

rising tide

he kneels longer

on the tatami

ombak nan tinggi

sujudnya lebih dalam

di atas tilam

pale moon

mirrored on the last snow

night in Ibaraki

malam ibaraki

bulan pucat bercermin

salju terakhir

clouds overhead...

how big the moon looks

from miyagi?

di sini mendung...

tampak besarkah bulan

dari miyagi?

4/

tsunami update

strange sound

of splashing water

warta tsunami

suara kecipak air

sungguh tak biasa

Family retreat haiku

2011-07-22T14:50:00.000+07:00

family retreat
more time and space
to weave a web

vila keluarga
lebih banyak ruangwaktu untuk
memintal jaring

Ripe mulberries haiku

2011-07-19T14:20:00.000+07:00

ripe mulberries
the plain fact she can
hardly conceal

murbei masak
kenyataan yang tak mungkin
dia simpan

Pengemis tua haiku chain

2011-07-16T17:12:00.003+07:00

1/
pengemis tua
kelontang di mangkuknya
bunyi recehan

2/
butiran debu
barusan ia kibas
kembali lagi

3/
angin yang lewat
menyeka keringatnya
menuju laut

4/
menatap senja
ia menghela nafas
dalam, dan lagi

5/
jalan benderang
di cekung matanya
lilin terakhir

Solem promise, tanka sequence

2011-07-15T01:17:00.003+07:00

1/
spend the week end
with doing quiz
in a puzzle book
nothing i really know about
but living a simple life

lewatkan akhir pekan
dengan mengisi kuis
di buku teka-teki
tiada yang kutahu kecuali
hidup sebagaimana adanya

2/
i write a poetry
about the rain of july
the words we had
widen the hollow in between us
where nights are much colder

kutulis puisi
tentang hujan bulan juli
semua pembicaraan
menambah ruang kosong antara kita
di mana malam terasa lebih dingin

3/
it's still there
a solemn promise to keep
in our minds
we talk intimately
and sleep back to back

tak hilang
janji suci yang dirawat
dalam hati
kita bicara begitu intim
dan tidur beradu punggung

4/
can you hear
a meow at the door?
in the dark
i'm drown in my thought
you in your dream

kau dengarkah
suara kucing di pintu
dalam gelap
aku tenggelam dalam fikiranku
kau dalam mimpimu

5/
no talk
no dispute
about divorce
we forget when it was
the last breakfast for two

tak bicara
tak bertengkar
tentang perceraian
terakhir kali sarapan berdua
entah kapan itu

Scythe moon haiku chain

2011-07-11T22:30:00.001+07:00

1/
scythe moon
watching over paddy field
a scarecrow stands still

bulan sabit
di atas hamparan padi
hantu sawah diam

2/
midnight gust
wandering along the hallway
cut grass odor

angin tengah malam
melintas sepanjang lorong
bau jerami layu

3/
peasant song
his bamboo flute leads
the chirping birds

lagu petani
nada sulingnya memandu
koor burung-burung

The earth and the moon haiku

2011-07-09T05:35:00.000+07:00

the earth and the moon
beauty pageant special report
on a homeless' hut

Old poetry book haiku

2011-07-09T03:00:00.000+07:00

old poetry book
a haiku on the title page
about my first love

buku puisi tua
haiku di halaman judul
tentang cinta pertamaku

Afternoon wind haiku

2011-07-09T02:16:00.001+07:00

afternoon wind
the leaves start dressing
the color of dust

angin sore
daun-daun berbusana
sewarna debu

Tunnel vision haiku

2011-07-09T00:00:00.002+07:00

tunnel vision
incoming call alert
from private number

Roadside stop

2011-07-02T22:10:00.001+07:00

roadside stop
a girl in straw hat
selling koi

You too, bees

2011-07-02T22:09:00.002+07:00

you too, bees
hypnotized by its color?
hibiscus blossoms

Easy life haiku

2011-07-02T22:07:00.001+07:00

easy life
an alley cat stretches
a while longer

Kid's clothing

2011-07-01T10:27:00.001+07:00

kid's clothing
bend her laundry line
a morning at grandma's

School holiday haiku

2011-07-01T10:26:00.001+07:00

school holiday
war game shooting gun
and warbler's cry

Ripples sketched haiku

2011-06-29T17:25:00.000+07:00

ripples sketched
on my window glass
distant thunder

Summer feast haiku

2011-06-29T14:42:00.003+07:00

summer feast
a lady with emerald earring
walks her chihuahua

Flagpole top haiku

2011-06-29T14:40:00.002+07:00

flagpole top
steps in my doormat
just another dusk

No letter from you tanka

2011-06-27T23:35:00.000+07:00

no letter from you
in my mailbox
but the wind
teasing the silence
in mute language

tiada suratmu
di kotak suratku
cuma angin
yang menggoda sepi
dalam bahasa bisu

Mahogany treetop haiku

2011-06-27T20:00:00.001+07:00

mahogany treetop
leans on the park bench
pale evening

Along the meadow path haiga

2011-06-26T20:49:00.000+07:00

The first haiga of Macintosh Haiga Project

Carps on the grill haiku

2011-06-25T23:11:00.000+07:00

carps on the grill
at a feast for friends
pond lilies

ikan mas bakar
jamuan buat kawan
teratai di kolam

The color of jonquil haiga

2011-06-25T02:04:00.003+07:00

Appears on Haiga Online, Vol 12-1, June 2011. Image by Mary Rodning, Haiga Online resident artist.

Another spots

2011-06-22T05:29:00.005+07:00

This one doesn't make it to appear on Notes from the Gean. But the other two will be published on NftG, September 2011 issue.

Kanku-dai haiku/senryu

2011-06-22T03:15:00.005+07:00

My friend, Alex Poerwo, an experienced karate instructor is working on poetic karate training manual to be made available on print. After Sheienchin, he invites me to write more haiku/senryu on another move called Kanku-dai. The haiku/senryu below are my take on his challenge.

1/
ancient spring
cherry blossoms
throughout okinawa

musim semi purba
bunga sakura di sudut-sudut
okinawa

2/
sweet distraction
a little bird darts through
the strings of sunlight

distraksi yang sedap
burung kecil menerobos
dawai-dawai cahaya matahari

3/
in between
the sky and the inner hollow
a handful of sun

di antara
langit dan hati hampa
segenggam matahari

4/
where am i
between the sky up there
and within

di mana aku
antara langit di atas kepala
dan dalam hati

5/
daybreak
the darkest cloud for the sun
to sweep away

fajar pecah
awan tergelap untuk disapu
oleh matahari

6/
a girl with ponytail
learns to count her fingers
first day at school

gadis kecil berambut kepang
belajar menghitung jemarinya
hari pertama di sekolah

7/
pathways to interior
a rosebud unfolds and surrenders
to the light

jalan dalam jiwa
kuntum mawar mekar dan berserah
kepada terang

8/
regular dish
she washes her hands and
forgets the chopsticks

hidangan rutin
dia mencuci tangan dan
lupa sumpitnya

9/
mayan apocalypse
a bucket of rice to save for
the last harvest day

kiamat bangsa Maya
seember beras sebelum tiba
panen terakhir

10/
peaceful mind
how the queenbee misses
her honeycombs

hati damai
begitulah ratu lebah merindu
bangsal bayi-bayinya

Paler moon haiga

2011-06-21T22:13:00.000+07:00

Rude awakening haiku

2011-06-19T22:57:00.001+07:00

rude awakening
a telephone bill overdue
on the dashboard

aku gelagapan
tagihan telpon di dashboard
telat kubayar

Morning drizzle haiku

2011-06-19T22:56:00.002+07:00

morning drizzle
a yellow rose unfolds
for a new monday

pagi gerimis
mawar kuning merekah
di awal pekan

Climate change, a haibun

2011-06-19T02:52:00.003+07:00

00.23 AM. The night is young and it's me grappling with a stack of paperworks on the desk while some junk emails await for removal. "You need spam blocker," she says, seeing my grumpy face, again, before my Macbook. She stands from her chair, heads for the bedroom and leaves me with my weary head. "Yeah, I know," I reply but she seems no longer in conversation mode.

My iTunes plays Suzi Quatro's Cat Size at the bottom of the customized vintage rock playlist. I take a sip of my coffee, feel how the sediment roughly slides down my throat, and turn on the room TV for a little distraction. The hotel clock shows 01.26 AM, I straighten my back and stop scanning the channels for climate update on Discovery.

melting iceberg
she's in satin lingerie
digesting Rumi

Wild mushrooms tanka

2011-06-10T10:45:00.001+07:00

wild mushrooms
in our deserted garden
wrapped in silence
we know how this coldness
lingers like cataract

jamur-jamur liar
di taman yang telantar
terbungkus sepi
dan kita tahu tentang beku
yang lekat bagai katarak

Barefoot homeless haiku

2011-06-04T23:32:00.000+07:00

sun burns
a barefoot homeless
passes by

terik matahari
gelandangan kecil melintas
tanpa sandal

Color of leaves haiku

2011-06-02T09:43:00.000+07:00

rainwashed away
it's your face, oh no...
the color of leaves

terbilas hujan
wajahmu, bukan...
warna dedaunan

Dream rain haiku

2011-06-02T09:42:00.001+07:00

so colorful
my dream about rain
like i see it

sungguh berwarna
mimpiku tentang hujan
seperti kulihat

Letter unread haiku

2011-05-28T23:03:00.000+07:00

now it's raining
the letter you wrote last night
remains unread

malahan hujan
suratmu yang semalam
belum kubaca

Rotting straws haiku

2011-05-28T23:01:00.001+07:00

who's coming?
no cricket song but smells
rotting straws

adakah yang datang?
tanpa kerik jengkerik cuma bau
jerami membusuk

Tuberculosis tanka

2011-05-24T12:52:00.002+07:00

the vapor
from the river below
reaches the balcony
where he talks to
his tuberculosis

alternate version goes

from the balcony
gazing at the river down below
the vapor rises
and gathers the air
i exhale tuberculosis

Seienchin haiku

2011-05-23T16:00:00.003+07:00

These haiku were inspired by a karate move (kata) named seienchin. I am greatly indebted to shensei Alex Poerwo who teaches karate and generously shared with me his work-in-progress on karate lessons.

1/
misty morning wind
stands out in a crowded bush
blooming dahlia

2/
newborn awaits
a cocoon under dahlia leaf
sways in the wind

3/
on dahlia petal
a butterfly gently lands
yin and yang

4/
breeze over the pond
a riffle fish freezes the current
for a ladybug

Unknown cemetery haiga

2011-05-22T16:16:00.001+07:00