SINGING WITH A FISH [ 11 ]

PHRASE

typhoon ripped the jungle

twirled the butterflies

to dust

history lost its footprints

life turned unname

tombstones left unidentified

a drop of blood

is faded

at the corner of the

fallen leaf.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

by

DARMA MOHAMMAD

[Translated from Bahasa Melayu by the author.]

The poem FRASA (PHRASE) is taken from a poetry book

GEMA MEMBELAH GEMA 6,

published by GAPENA in 1981.

The Bahasa Melayu version of the poem reads :

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

FRASA

taufan membelah rimba

memutarkan rama-rama

sehingga berdebu

sejarah kehilangan jejak

hidup tak bernama lagi

nesan tak bertanda

ada setitik darah

yang luntur

di sudut sehelai daun

yang gugur.

-o-o-o-o-o

Oleh

DARMA MOHAMMAD