The Marriage

The Marriage

In 2010 someone wrote:
“’I wished I would be married once in order to know, what, how a married life feels.’ So I said when I was still unmarried. When I had married I had to remind my wife of her, our marital duties, to eat, to sleep, going out, to live together, if I didn’t, we didn’t eat, sleep, work, going out together. And she assured that she loved me and would stay with me forever.”

In 2200 someone spoke:
“Now the marriage is abolished I don’t need to remind you of such stupid things. You stayed with me, so free, unasked we ate, we slept, lived happily together though not forever, it was such a joy and not a duty. And you didn’t try to assure that you loved me. I wouldn’t ever blame you when you leave me again. I’m so grateful you came into my life.”

They were true without vows and laws, man and woman, male and female.

July 2009

December 2012

Gold

Gold

What I call gold is our padi, corn, fruits, vegetables, woods, forests,  the creatures of the land, of the water, of the sea, the fertile earth, the land, the mountains, the sea, the streams, the lakes, the clouds, the air, the heavens, the moon, the sun, the stars, just picture them, how wonderful they are. These, they, are the true, real gold, so invaluable, for us.  What a loss, disaster, were they no more, for man, creatures, all living alike.

Were gold abundant as sand of the sea, who would care for it? That, which we call gold,  destroying, ruining the earth after it for the sake of money, is not true gold.

December 2012

The Nicest, Deepest Sleep

Is Death, Heaven.

I Am Your Little Star

Revised Version of Poem In Plain Language

I  Am Your  "Schoner Stern"

And I imagined MM (Maria Magdalene) listening at His feet, following Jesus while He talked so eloquently dedicated especially to her among the listeners.

And there again, is there perhaps one, my MM, really following me? Or was she just a dream, loving my thoughts, my inmost thoughts and feelings. We never saw, met, actually spoke to each other. She, a lovely woman, no matter what: unmarried, married, mother, aged or prostitute, unfaithful wife, ... Me, ... a scarecrow.

How happy, grateful am I. What do I care were I granted the Nobel Prize? Even were no one to read or like my thoughts?

Only  if she, my MM, my little star, mein Schoner Stern hears me, would I thank and kiss her.

...

“Yes, I’m your little star, your 'schoner Stern'” , without revealing yourself.

How wonderful, as I picture her in my mind.

November 2012

A Deadman's Speech

A Deadman’s Speech

“You laugh, think you’re lucky and healthy, you’re not me. Today it is my turn, but tomorrow it might be your turn. Ha. Ha.” said the deadman’s voice  to the onlookers attending his burial, so cleverly devised before.

 

December 2012

Where She Is, There's Heaven

Where She Is, There’s Heaven

“I gladly, happily would honey-moon even to hell with my lover.” 

Then Opa Johan whispered to me: “What’s a honey-moon to Bali, Hawaii, Virgin Islands, ...? That’s for petty lovers. Were her lover unable to afford to buy her such a grand honey-moon she would divorce, leave him or cancel her marriage. Ha. Ha.”

“Not so mine, she would stay. Where she is, there’s heaven” said Opa Johan.

December 2012

How Dear A Woman 2

Opa Johan’s Diary

In another big quarrel I said to my lover: “Just leave me, you’ll be free, I don’t love you anymore, why do you bind, tie me, you don’t give me my freedom? Can’t you feel?”

And she begged, prayed, entreated and said: “I don’t care though you say a thousand times that you can’t love me and accuse, blame me that I don’t give you your freedom. How I still want to stay with you though every another time you chase me away.Why are you so cruel? Can’t you see, feel? Now kiss me, to make up for all the wrongs you did to me without reason.”

While she never read, wrote poetry, ever listened to heart-rending arias of an opera. Subandrio has a wonderful wife who waited years for him though his freedom from prison came just on his 80^th year, yet, is my lover not as wonderful as she is and I’m but an old scarecrow?

October 2009

June 2012

December 2012

Steal Me A Kiss

Steal Me A Kiss

And  I remember Opa Johan and his little fool born in a time when Indonesians were relatively small, averaging 155 Cm for women and 163 Cm for men.

“She’s luckily that small. That’s why I can still tease, fool, play, pinch, fight, fondle, cuddle her and steal me a kiss ... climbing to a century by now. Ha. Ha.”

“Stealing a kiss when she’s asleep and so awaken her, or feigning to whisper her something, steal me a kiss when her face so near during my hair cut, ... What a joy and what’s so special, no one knows, sees.”

"So that’s what, having a philosophy, is for, man” he said to me.

 December 2012

How Dear A Woman

How Dear A Woman 1

How wonderful, were a woman staying with me for as long as life, while nothing forces her so, not God, the church, the law,  the society, not even me, ...  even though were it for as short as a year or a few years or even a month, a week, a day or even as less than an hour. How dear a woman as I imagine it. And it might be a man also.

But the opposite is worse than hell. I wont talk about it.

December 2012

Weren't He My Brother Would I Have Married Him

Weren’t He My Brother Would I Have Married Him

“I’ve shared a lot of my best thoughts with her by now, you know? I can picture her inwardly saying: ‘Weren’t he my brother, would I have married him.’ Ha. Ha.”

Opa Johan whispered to his wife: “Aren’t you lucky, I’m her brother, you little fool?”

 

December 2012

That’s Why I Send This To You

That’s Why I Send This To You

Were we a good choir, we would not sing in a church service but in a concert hall, as Andre Rieu with professional singers, soloists, orchestra, camera men, sound system, dedicated for educated concert lovers,  making DVD’s, share it with the whole world, not like us, amateur singers of 70 – 80 years without any musical education, practice before, with but an organ a bit out of tune, recorded with but an i Pad, not in a studio, dedicated to but church goers, but second class music listeners, lovers.

That’s why I send this to you, i.e. uncombed, not shaved, in shorts, slippers, daily wear, (meaning: raw, unedited, Chew) I don’t need to make a show of myself, except ...

you feel yourself still too clever, too smart, too educated, to humble yourself listening to this simple piece. Ha. Ha.

 

Yet we very enjoy singing and I, we, are proud of it and have broadcast this in You Tube.

That’s the choir conductor’s e mail to his sister abroad.

December 2012

True To Myself

True To Myself

I’m only true to myself.

Were I true to someone, then it was because I was true to myself.

December 2012

Worse, More Dangerous Than The Contagious Deadly, Mass Killing Bacteria

Worse, More Dangerous Than The Contagious Deadly, Mass Killing Bacteria

 

You certainly wouldn’t throw stones to our neighbor’s houses, even wouldn’t throw stones into the air as it might endanger someone or smash into a window pane, or to a dog, shoot birds. Ordered, you wouldn’t obey it. Would you?

 

But in the war of Iraq, one doesn’t throw stones, however big it is, but missiles, not to houses but to cities. On TV it’s seen as thousands of fireworks flying towards you.

Not a stone, but a bomb of perhaps more the 500 Kg. Not one stone but thousands, not stones but bombs and missiles, not once, one day, but for days, weeks. And this was done without feeling sorry, feeling wrong, as it was commanded, a duty. Those that let the atomic bomb fall will remember the event for life.

Suddenly human beings were shot, killed for no reason, no crime, no misdeed and it’s lawful, legitimate. A murderer would be tried, but this was mass murder. How cruel. What an injustice. War is a legalised crime. A dog, a cat, a bird wouldn’t be shot, instead it would be protected. Who thinks of throwing stones to our neighbor’s houses, to museums, destroy beautiful gardens, woods. But they were destroyed, though invaluable. War degrades our sense of humanity and turns him into a robot: “March, halt, shoot, charge,..!” losing all his discretions, responsibilities.

And those that were attacked, also were infected and became insane and repaid it with suicide attacks.

Those that initiate war are spreading “hate”, which is worse, more dangerous than the contagious deadly, mass killing bacteria. This is what I’m afraid of, that I, you, we would be infected with “hate”, becoming insensible, insane, losing our self.

 

That's a father's e mail to his sons.

May 12, 2004

December 2912

A Beautiful Lie, Command

A Beautiful Lie, Command

A command includes often something against one’s will, something he doesn’t like.

A lie often hides something nasty.

But were behind a command, something beautiful, one wishes, likes, it’s a double joy and happiness as it were not expected.

A beautiful command forces one do what he, she really loves, likes, “Kiss me, Marry that girl you love, Visit Ujung Kulon National Park, ... I will provide for the means, funds”.

A beautiful lie when one day uncovered reveals a beautiful revelation, as is a mother’s lie always telling her little children that she loved, liked the part of fruits that were over-ripe and half-rotten as there was nothing left for her except the over-ripe, half rotten parts, giving her children the good, fresh parts, as she almost can’t afford to buy fruits.

"So remember, never lie, command, except it is a beautiful lie or command” said Opa Johan to his granddaughter.

 December 2012

Flood, A Beautiful Lake

Flood became a beautiful lake.

 

 

Add caption

I didn’t turn back home on my cycling trip, took this shot with my feet in running water on the road and found a dry lovely spot to enjoy my picnic. 

 

December 2012

 

The Lovely Girl 3

The lovely Girl 3

Her eyes so eagerly said: “Look at me.  Am I not pretty? Choose, pick me.”

December 2012

The Gelatik Bird And The Farmer

The Gelatik Bird And The Farmer

“ Hi, Gelatik. Don’t eat, steal my paddy,” said a farmer.

Said the Gelatik. “Sure you bought and planted the paddy but the paddy is not yours but of the paddy plants and they present it to anyone who would like to take and eat them. If you forbid, then you should guard, watch over it, you greedy man. I don't steal your paddy. You have no right to forbid me.”

April 2009

December 2012

Mickey And The Landlord

Mickey And The Landlord

Mickey said: “Why do you chase me away? Is this your land?”

“This is my house, my land. I’ve bought it. Here is the certificate.” So said the landlord.

“Sure,” said Mickey Mouse, “but I am also an inhabitant, citizen of the earth. I have also a right on a part of it. I haven’t sold my right to you or anybody. Why then do you have your house on a part of my land? Has the seller or the government the right to own the land and sell the land that belongs to all the world inhabitants without permission? What do you say? Ha, ha.”

April 2009

December 2012

The Gelatik And Benji, The Dog

The Gelatik And Benji, The Dog

Have you ever seen the Gelatik bird. She is so lovely, in grey and black and a red-rose beak, so frisky and so charming as a stewardess.

What would she say if someone offered her a home safe from predators, hunters, place it for honored guests to see in a brilliant hall of a palace with hundreds of candles. She doesn’t have to search for food or water, it would be provided, served on a plate and a cup of gold.

Said the bird: “Though not safe from the hawk, the snake, shot, trapped by man, though not protected from rain, and storm and drink but water from the rice field, a ditch, or have to provide myself with food, endure intense hunger and thirst during drought, give me my freedom, rather than be caged in a beautiful bird house, protected and well provided. I want to fly, have my nest though just of woven grass, find my mate and happily raise my baby chicks.

I’d rather like Benji to be as a wild animal and leaves us, instead of loving us. But Benji when urged to stay away, leave us, and be free, he stays, though we give him but knuckles of pork as his food or has to sleep outside on the floor. Where we go, he goes, where we stay, there he stays and there too, he’s most happy and at home.

And I mused, which is the better, being free or being bound?

August 18, 2004

December 2012