The Dynasty

Forty days have passed And here I am sitting In our living room Looking out through the window That I just wiped clean with the white cloth With all the translucency I can now see you Feel you Talk to you Understand you Be grateful for you In a way that I should Yours was a beautiful soul Mine was destined to meet yours But ours were beyond romance We were bound together for a purpose That my humble mind had to struggle To accept and understand That you are the divine gift Sent to me as a better half -- M --

The sky spoke to me last night When I was talking to the flickering stars I did not want to listen But it made me do By covering the skies with thick white clouds The sky spoke to me last night When I was busy looking for the face of the moon I did not want to listen But it made me do By sending lightning and deafening thunder The sky spoke to me last night When I was trying to wipe the tears from my eyes I did not want to listen But it made me do By pouring the rain so hard it got me soaking wet I could no longer ignore When the sky spoke to me last night Even when the language was strange And the words were not there to catch The sky spoke to me last night And I did not understand But it made me do By telling me that all the answers were there Within me if only I just listened -- M, 2023 -- 

Life can be as simple as the sun that rises in the East and sets in the West, As faithful as water that runs from mountains to the sea, As hopeful as a seed showered with rain and sunlight But life can also be as dark as the night sky, As winding as a river making its way to the ocean, As painful as a seed breaking the soil and stone To come to the opening Life is just a matter of perception, Like the way we perceive the moon, Whether it's waning or full It's always there to exist -- M, 2023 --

Sudah gerimis lagi rupanya Sementara guguran daun-daun nangka Dari pohon tetangga masih di sana Sedangkan angin besar yang menerbangkannya Semalam sudah tak ada Sejenak aku berpikir untuk memilih Mengambil sapu atau menikmati kopi pagi Sambil mengingat-ingat mimpi Yang terbawa tiupan angin malam tadi Tentang sebuah gunung tinggi Yang kupandang dari hamparan tanaman padi Baiklah,  kuambil sapu saja Bersihkan semua sampah dari jiwa dan raga Semoga hari ini semua temukan bahagia Bersama datangnya kabar baik dan rejeki tak terduga Hadiah dari Yang Maha Kuasa Atas semua jerih lelah kita Kusampaikan puja tertinggi pada Mbok Dewi Sri Agar curahkan semua rejeki pada kami Hari ini dan nanti -- M, 2023 --

If 4 a.m. were a person I would tell it not to be sad And stop shedding tears If 4 a.m. were a person I would sit with it facing East And wait for the sun to greet If 4 a.m. were a person I would wish it knew That while the short hand touched it's heart The longer hand had already touched the sky And a brighter day were surely on the way -- M, 2023 --

Maybe is is the reason why we met So I can share my stories with you And you can share yours with me And we can learn from one another And be stronger than ever With you I can laugh my troubles out, Feel a little pride for having been through  The hell I never thought anyone else Would ever be there but me With me you can see That the sun will always shine after the rain And the songs you thought were only yours Turned out to be mine, too Maybe this is the reason why we met So we can see the world from different angles, Feel less miserable when the thunder strikes And the storm hits us again In the ups and downs of our life's journey To know that we are never alone May be the reason why we met -- M, 2023 --

And there are people who go places together but all they need is one's own company. They get together and make a pause at the same place but each one is wrapped in their own silence. They just sit there and drown themselves into their own thoughts, dreams, secrets and maybe fears, minding nothing outside their own being. Spoken words are no longer needed because the voice from within is louder than what the ears can hear. Only when the camera is up they pose and smile for a few seconds just to show the world they exist before sinking back to the depths of their own solitude. "Sometimes your silence speaks better than your words, for our souls understand how much you care just by seeing your being in the moment." -- M, 2023 --

It's such a cold night to be sitting out here At the seaside where I first saw you Picking up the sand covered piece of coral reef The very place where our paths collided And things started taking different turns I'm looking at you across the table But you are not aware of my stare Your hands are busy with the phone And your mind is wandering someplace but here If only I could see you the way I saw you before If only I could unsay everything that I said to you If only I could turn back time And tell the waves not to come rushing near But feelings are like the ocean waves We can not stop them from coming They just go wherever the wind blows And no man can change the direction of the wind Anyway, the moon has left the horizon my coffee is getting cold and I guess yours, too And it doesn't take much time For me to find myself busy with my playlist Until the time comes to wave you goodbye Once again -- M, 2023 --

One day you may see her doing things like everybody else does. Then the next day she will just leave everything and set herself out on a solo drive to neighboring towns, or on a very short notice she will just disappear for days on her random journeys. Then you may see her somewhere sipping coffee with people you just can't figure out how they can be at the same moment despite all the difference. You may also see her doing things that will raise your eyebrows and she doesn't care anymore about being misunderstood. And maybe you will find her bothering you with questions, sharing her thoughts, insights, or truths that hit you right between the eyes or give you nightmares. And when you push her away, she will adjust her distance, hold dandelions in her hands and blow the seeds to the directions of the sun, the stars and the moon. But she NEVER apologized for what she did. If you wonder why she did what she did, go ask her and she will say, "because it's good to know ther...

Sitting down at the patio yesterday at two eleven Counting the raindrops as they fell to the ground Wetting the driveway that was once dry My fingers kept on counting with all their might Until the drops became a downpour and I lost count She heard the rain pour down today at four thirty Not long but it was such a nuisance For she was in the middle of a conversation With the divine being that resides Inside the heart of someone once a goddess Of all the times of rain I did not hear your thunder nor see your lightning All I knew was you holding my hand so tight And softly speaking right to my heart "I'm home". Let's forget about the world for a while Tonight when the time shows eleven fifty nine At the shrine where two souls are reuniting And dancing among the stars Making the most of the darkness that keeps them safe Listening to the song that only they can hear Until the clock strikes twelve And tomorrow says "I'm here". -- M, 2023 --

You died You left And she has accepted it, Lived with it, Made peace with it But the other night The wind whispered to her Saying that you died again And it broke her heart A million times as hard I could not think of anything else but Maybe this time is your turn to save your thunder To accept and make peace With what she is meant to be And let her get back to her true self Walk with her just like before Pour your soft rain upon her hair And she will see you there in the crease of her heart For she believes eternity is a reality That you have already been living in That she has guarded with all that she had -- M, 2023 --

Does it ever cross your mind that the person you think you know may not be the same person? Does it ever cross your mind that a mask can do a great job in hiding someone's true identity? Does it ever cross your mind that a mask can take any form so you won't be able to recognize it? Does it ever cross your mind that behind delicate smiles there may be strong hearts that have survived multiple battles? If your answer is no, then it's time for you and I to take long drives together and have cups of good coffee somewhere faraway. -- M, 2023 --

I haven't seen the picture of us for quite some time The old picture when we both dressed in brown Not because I do not think about you anymore Nor that I do not feel the need to do it again Tonight I looked at it again closely, The old picture of you and me at our last anniversary, Thinking that I would be just fine. But I was wrong, I still gulped back tears And, love, this time You were not the only one that I missed a lot I was torn between two different realities Of what I am and what I used to be Even though both reside in the same old mind, They share different space The space of what is real and what is not And my tears just fell for them both I did not choose It was my soul that chose for me And there is nothing we can do to stop nor prevent When the path that we should take Is suddenly unrolled and thrown before our very eyes But in this stillness of the night, nothing happened It was all only in my heart and mind And I have learnt to be happy with that Even when I k...

Plans are for the ordinary, not me. It all started at a coffee shop somewhere in Surabaya and all of a sudden we found ourselves singing on the way to the West. Without a plan my feet faithfully took every step leading to this place. 501 stairs and several pit stops made me sweat and out of breath. It was full moon past midnight. Darkness was everywhere in these woods. At the top of the hill we counted only on the moonlight to spare us a chance to take pictures. So here I am, only half lit by the moon Feeling blessed and joyful Even when another set of 501 stairs Was waiting to lead me back down the hill. -- M, 2023 --