By night a stranger tumbled I into your land, eastward from Krakatoa, speaking
your language like a baby and scrambling for a train.
Cautious curious stumbled your eyes into mine, stoking unseen volcanoes, secret
whirlpools visions new of forest mountain temples
At
the zoo a giraffe wanted to kiss me. Did you know that I was
your giraffe? You taught me "elephant" and "peacock" and
"big" and "little" the wrong way round. We
walked through the forest up to the crater and its brimstone clouds. We
didn't want to have to turn around. We turned around.
Suns
rise. Time flies. Glass lies inbetween us. Home calls from
a distant ocean. What we share unites and parts us, stops
and starts us.
Once
more the train jerks forwards a few metres and then halts.
I
watch you on the platform, through the window mute in pain.
Shall
I report here again?
Di
suatu malam seorang asing datang ke negerimu di timur gunung Krakatau berbicara dalam bahasamu laksana seorang bayi yang bergegas mengejar kereta
Hati-hati
penuh tanya matamu menatapku menyulut gunung api di antara
kita kolam air panas yang penuh rahasia khayal tentang kuil di dalam hutan di atas gunung
Di
kebun binatang itu seekor jerapah ingin menciumku. Apakah kamu tahu bahwa
akulah jerapahmu? Kamu mengajariku “gajah” dan “merak” dan
“besar” dan “kecil” dengan kata-kata yang salah. Kita berjalan
melalui hutan sampai ke kawah dan awan belerang. Kita tidak
ingin pulang tapi..... kita harus pulang.
Matahari terbit. Waktu berlalu. Kaca memisahkan
jarak antara kita. Panggilan pulang dari seberang samudera. Apa
yang telah kita lalui menyatukan
dan memisahkan kita, menghentikan dan juga memulai.
Sekali
lagi gerbong kereta maju hanya beberapa meter lalu berhenti.
Aku
memandangmu yang berdiri di peron melalui jendela dalam keheningan
yang terasa sakit
Haruskah
aku kembali lagi ....?
"Eastward from Krakatoa (Parahyangan)" is an autobiographical and almost
archaeological love song with a difference or 3. The basic plots is: boy
meets train; girl meets train; boy meets giraffe; boy & girl meet volcano; boy meets train again; giraffe & volcano live happily ever
after.
The title is a play on the old and geographically inaccurate film
title "Krakatoa: East of Java". Java is in fact east(ward) from Krakatoa and
'Parahyangan' is the local, Sundanese name for the western part of Java, where
the 'action' took place between 1999 & 2000 - as well as being the name of the
express train between Jakarta & Bandung which features heavily in the
plot.
