A quiet life and a pretty house

It was past midnight when we were in a boat, at the sea, under the sky of our own thoughts
Below our vast feelings were out, honest but harsh but in the end–they kept us afloat
You knew I’d take a quiet life and a pretty house with you

It was blue when you woke me up with a light kiss–we were supposed to feed the dog
I took a walk alone in the trees of my imagination, just a few blocks down the road of our pretty house on the hill–
we were supposed to get dressed and go about our quiet lives

It was day when I got back to no calls and no texts and found you, my love, sitting on the porch reading my eyes
I smiled and looked right back at our years and of how we might or might not meant to be–
such a big thought to start the day but you knew I’ve been me my whole life

What was it that we said ten years ago–a quiet life and a pretty house just like the sad song

You know I’ve always held on to it even when we were unhappy or I was unhappy and especially when our lives were unquiet

But we’ve been us our whole lives and I’ll still take a quiet life and a pretty house with you

Di samping hutan

Tak perlu kau khawatir
Di sini ikan-ikan terbang di atas kolam
Menyelami waktu yang kian melambat
Menyulam sejuk di atas udara

Tak apa jika kau ragu melangkah
Sesekali kita perlu diam dan bertanya
Manakah yang lebih tegar,
Ia yang berlari atau kau yang diam saja

Tak mungkin jika kau tak tenang
Di sini, di samping hutan,
Semut-semut bisa makan
Dan berteduh di antara rongsokan

Namun jika buatmu ini tak cukup
Lalu apa?

The places I've lived

I've gone to many places too many
City to city, parks and beaches
Dead buildings and hilly forests
Catching buses, trains, shadows

There could be ten million people passing
Sky its bluest hue with no one watching
Sometimes I think
The air could disappear yet everyone still breathes

But trees remain the most patient beings
Not a single leaf ever left unmissed
Would you believe me when I say that?

I paused to look up and saw
The sun just went without me

Rumah kecil

Buang bayang-bayang kelabu itu
Dan gemerlapmu yang resah
Lupakan sejenak celoteh-celoteh nirmakna
Dan pesan-pesan umpatan keparat

Tersesatlah biar sekejap
Jauh, jauh dari ubin-ubin dingin
Dan lantai beton dan dinding-dinding seng
Biarkan kota semakin mengkota

Berlarian, berlarian mengejar
Cita-cita yang bukan milik siapa-siapa

Hei, coba lihat baik-baik
Di ujung jalan kerikil itu
Ada rumah kecil beratap langit

Berteduhlah bersamaku barang sesaat
Bersama waktu yang melambat
Dan kesunyian yang menenangkan

Suatu hari nanti kau kan tahu
Aku hanya ingin bernafas lega

The old Kersen tree

Here, on the cracked, uneven floor of my front porch

I could still recall the shadows formed by our old Kersen tree

It used to have one big trunk growing inward to the side of my house

One where my little legs could climb to pick the fruits up

There were many things to smile about back then

The mornings, our time, our lives

It didn't take long before they cut down the tree

As we were afraid the heavy rains would break it apart

But until now the shadows are still there

Asymmetric like those cast on the forest floor

Only now they're formed by hanging plants inside plastic-made planters

I still think about the Kersen tree

And of my dad who he would watch me climb down safely from it

It has been years

But we are still afraid of the heavy rains