JATUH CINTA

Ini semua gara-gara gue masang musikalisasi puisinya Sapardi Djoko Damono yang "Aku Ingin". Gue baru sadar gue belum pernah bikin puisi cinta, so why not give it a shot? But then again, I'm not a romantic person nor do I have any romantic experience hahaha! Tapi nggak ada salahnya lah coba-coba bikin puisi cinta. Sekali-sekali B)
Mohon maaf atas judulnya, gue paling nggak bisa bikin judul.

Aku tahu itu kamu
Yang mengubah tetes hujan menjadi hamparan kelopak bunga mawar
Yang membuat jam segan merenggangkan kedua tangannya
Yang menyihir dinginnya malam menjadi wujud nyatanya kehangatan

Ah, dasar mimpi
Masakan tiap malam aku selalu bertemu denganmu?
Kita berdiri di bawah rindangnya pepohonan taman kota
Bersama mereka yang turut terbuai alunan romansa
Tentu itu menjadi kenangan yang paling manis
Jika kamu bisa merubahnya menjadi kenyataan
Layaknya kamu mengubah musim panas menjadi musim semi untukku;
Musim dimana para pemuda tak bisa berhenti tersenyum
Dan para pemudi tak bisa menyembunyikan rona merah di pipinya

THE CELESTIAL JOURNEY

This was my short story assignment a year ago :)

It was the first day of spring. The elegant flowers colored the soil while mother earth is wearing her beautiful bright blue dress. The joyful birds fly freely underneath the white cheerful clouds. Laughter of happiness is in the air.

It is such a pity that Aaron could only watch the beauty of the day on his bed. He has been there for too long, so long that he hardly remembered the day when he was free to run underneath the horizon. He never could go anywhere except around the hospital. He has been ill in his entire life, forgetting a normal healthy life.

The sound of footsteps nearby broke his wondering mind. A nurse entered his room with a friendly smile.

“Today is your lucky day,” she said. “You have a new friend. She’s over there, beside your room. Perhaps you could introduce yourself to her; she would love to know you.”

“Why should I?” Aaron sighted. “Kids in here always hate me. I never really have a friend.”

“Oh well.” The nurse said. “It’s just that you’ve been alone all the time and you never been friendly with anyone. Try to smile a little bit and say simple things like ‘hello’ or something.”

“Oh, shut up.” Aaron grumped. The nurse shook her head as she walked away.

It was finally lunch time. Being so bored at his room, Aaron decided to have his meal at the hospital’s canteen. Along with a nurse who guarded him, he began to eat his lunch as he stare at a girl that came nearby. “Ah, that’s your new friend.” The nurse said. “I guess I should leave you too here for a while.” The nurse leaves Aaron alone in the table.

She stopped in front of Aaron and smile. Confused, Aaron awkwardly greets her. “Umm… hello.”

She laughed, making Aaron felt more confused. “Why are you laughing?”

Still laughing, she sat beside Aaron. “I’m happy!”

Being happy in a hospital? How weird. Aaron thought. “So… who are you? Are you new in here?”

“Guess who I am!”

“You’re weird.” Aaron replied. “And for being weird, you must have owned a weird name.”

“Correct!” she said. “And I guess you can’t guess my name because of that. I’m Taygeta.”

“That really is a weird name. I’m Aaron.”

She stares at Aaron for a while. “Why aren’t you smiling?”

“Because I don’t want to.”

“Yes you do, you just can’t find a reason to smile.” She said.

“Really?” Aaron wondered, found that Taygeta was right. He’s been lonely for too long, stuck at the hospital by himself. How could he find at least one reason to be happy?

“Yes and you know it.”

“So why are you happy?” Aaron asked.

Taygeta smiled wisely. “Let me tell you a secret. Beyond knowledge, there’s imagination. Behind every star of the skies, there’s a message that helps you find the true happiness.”

Aaron was confused, could not understand what she meant. “Look at the stars tonight, perhaps you will understand.” She replied, as she finished her meal and walked away to her room, leaving the confused Aaron in the table.

The sleepy sun painted the sky yellow, as it turned darker and darker, and little sparkling lights began to shine in the dark sky like a glamour glittery gown. Aaron quietly sneaked to the hospital’s park, stared at the stars with curiousness.

“What a silly thing to do,” he said to himself. “But for years I’ve been stuck in this room, I just want to be happy and free even if it’s just for a while.”

Someone pat Aaron’s shoulder. Aaron looked back. It was Taygeta.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?”

“I’m going to take you to a journey.” She said mysteriously. She then pulled her sleeve and showed Aaron her crystal ring. “My mom gave this to me before she left,” Taygeta said. “This then become the most precious thing I have ever own.” She pointed the ring to the stars.

Suddenly, everything turned bright that Aaron had to close his eyes. And when he opened them, he hardly remembered what just happen and strangely found himself standing on an endless bridge.

“Where am I?” he said to himself as he began to look around him. Surprisingly, Taygeta was beside him.

“You’re silly! Don’t you know where we are?”

“No.” Aaron replied. “Where are we, really?”

“We’re in the aurora, silly!” Taygeta said. She danced and laughed joyfully. “This isn’t just a normal bridge! This is an aurora!

“Come on, don’t you just stand there! Let’s take a walk!” Taygeta took Aaron’s hand, holding it as she ran along the Aurora Bridge.

Taygeta and Aaron were amazed by the view around them. They could see the earth underneath, and billions of stars on the endless space. Never before they see such beautiful view in earth. Aaron felt strange; he never had such feelings before, and he cannot describe how he felt. And somehow, he loved these feelings. As he traveled along the aurora with Taygeta, he forgot about his frustrations and pressures.

Taygeta slowly stopped. “Look!” she said, pointing to a group of stars. “Did you see that? It’s Pegasus!”

“Where? I can’t see any.” Aaron replied. Taygeta gently pulls Aaron’s hand, connecting each star with it, while Aaron began to understand.

As the stars connected to each other, the constellation turned into a real Pegasus

Pegasus may stick in the sky for too long, but he will always be a horse of freedom. And he wisely learns so much on the earth underneath his kingdom as he never complains about being stuck in the sky. He is grateful for what he sees, and now he had turned into a valorous being.

The valorous Pegasus came closer. Taygeta pulled Aaron’s arm once again. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s have a fantastic ride together.”

While Taygeta and Aaron climbed Pegasus’s back, he spread his magnificent sparkling wings and began to fly. Aaron finally did what he never done; he laughed. He could feel the beauty of freedom passionately. He stared at the shining stars, feeling as happy as a dancing angel.

“Look,” Taygeta said, pointing to another group of stars, connecting a star to another. “That’s Gemini constellation. Do you know that the Gemini is a constellation of a twin’s souls?”

STORY OF GEMINI

The twins were born under the wings of the Swan, Zeus. Castor inherited tenderness from their mother. Pollux inherited immortality from their father. When Castor was wounded to die in a war, Pollux cried to Zeus, the Almighty, "Take away my immortality and let us die together." Thus, the twin stars are twinkling side by side in the eternal sky.

“So they finally die together and turned into that beautiful constellation?” Aaron asked. Taygeta replied with a nod.

Leaving the Gemini constellation behind, Pegasus stopped behind huge colorful dusts. “What’s that?” Aaron asked. “That’s a dying star. Even the stars in the sky get older. Yet, they die with honor, spreading beautiful lights in the sky.”

STORY OF THE STARS

Stars live their life upon ever world, hearing many wishes and bringing hope to each being. They brighten the horizon of our world, showing the way for the lost. Even if they permanently stuck on the sky, just like the Pegasus, they use their life for other’s good. They are selfless, and when the time comes, they die in honor and happiness, spreading the light of peace.

Aaron sat on Pegasus’s back silently, reflecting his journey with Taygeta on the endless outer space. He finally understood the reason of his selfishness and frustrations. He shamefully remembered his life back then in the hospital, as he quietly sent his promise to the stars that he will renew himself.

Pegasus landed on the galactic railroad, the Milky Way. Taygeta and Aaron stood on the magical road with amazement. “Look around you,” Taygeta said. “The stars are no longer just normal lights of the sky.”

Aaron opened his eyes widely as the stars slowly connected to each other. Aaron saw Orion the hunter, Gemini the twins, Cancer the crab, Leo the lion, Virgo the maiden, Lynx, Ursa the bear along with his cub the Ursa Minor, Draco the dragon, Hercules the hero, Aquila the eagle, and other magical beings of the sky.

Suddenly, a cluster of stars underneath the Taurus shone brighter than the rest as Taygeta noticed. Pegasus snuffled. “I believe each human belongs to a star.” Pegasus finally said. He took Taygeta and Aaron, flew to a group of bright stars.

“This is Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters. Your name, Taygeta, is also the name of one of these stars, so as your mother, Celaeno.”

Pegasus pointed to the Celaeno, and Taygeta slowly saw her mother’s reflection in it. Taygeta began to cry with tears. “Mother!” she cried. Taygeta ran to the Celaeno as her body began to brighten and sparked. As Taygeta hugged her mother’s reflection, she turned into a beautiful light, uniting herself with the Taygeta star, which is near Celaeno.

Aaron could not believe what he saw. Pegasus turned himself to a constellation, and the confused Aaron sat on a meteor, leaving everything in his journey behind. He was getting nearer to the earth, as he realized that his journey was over. Suddenly, everything turned bright again.

Aaron opened his eyes, found himself in a strange place. He wasn’t lying on his bed, nor sitting on the park by himself. He has never been here before. He waved to the nurse who came nearby, trying to get her attention. But no one noticed. Everything was confusing until Aaron found himself lying on the coffin. What happened? He thought, frightened. And where’s Taygeta?

“Poor thing,” the nurse said. “I found him lying on the park last night, all alone by himself. But he seemed so happy that I’m starting to wonder about what he sees or what’s in his mind back then.”

“So I was alone, all the time?” He said to himself. “And Taygeta never existed?”

A wind blows gently and everything’s turned bright once again. Aaron couldn’t see anything but his own soul.

“Taygeta died long before you do. She was buried in the soft and beautiful petals, among the stars of the sky. She returned to earth for you, Aaron. And now, it is your turn.” Someone said.

“What turn?” Aaron asked.

“To teach humans about what you have learn in your journey with Taygeta. Humans seek happiness, but they are blind by their own selfishness, and selfishness is not the answer of what they seek. You need to open their eyes, Aaron, just like Taygeta opened yours.”

Someone slowly appeared in Aaron’s sight. It was a precious, wonderful friend of him; Taygeta. “I’ll be waiting for you in the stars,” she said. “And we will have our journey again, together!”

Aaron smiled, as he turned into a human boy again; found himself lying on the bed of another hospital. He walked outside of his room, noticed another room in front of his own.

“You have a new friend,” someone said. “Maybe you could introduce yourself to him. He would love to meet you.”

“Why should I? I don’t need friends, and I never really have one.” Another person replied.

Aaron laughed with joy and passion. He could hardly wait for bringing this child to the celestial journey.

SAKSI BISU

Wahai rembulan

Remukkah hati itu

Ketika engkau menatap cintamu

Yang perlahan hancur dan rusak?

Bagaimana engkau bisa tegar

Menidurkan perang dalam bisu

Sementara kami berseru dengan pedih

Mencari makna sejahtera

Masih maukah dirimu

Membuka mata untuk kami semua

Bila kelak nanti hidup menjadi mati

Dan yang penuh menjadi kosong?

SEBUAH SURAT

Wahai kalian yang kami kasihi,
Dahulu kita tidak mengenal fana
Waktu datang dan pergi tanpa permisi
Layaknya hembusan nafas kehidupan

Kini kita sama-sama belajar
Pertemuan dan perpisahan akan selalu bersama
Sebab kini kita tahu
Bahwa keabadian itu hanyalah sebuah kata

Wahai penghuni Firdaus,
Jiwa-jiwa yang tak lagi mengenal duka,
Apakah tebalnya langit menutupi pesan kami,
yang telah kami bisikkan lewat angin,
dan yang kami tulis di atas bintang?
Seluas itukah angkasa,
sehingga mata demi mata tak lagi bertemu?
Masih adakah ruang untuk kami,
agar perbincangan kita tak lagi diselimuti debu,
dan kenangan tak lagi terbungkus rindu?

ENTITY

This was an assignment for my English Project at school. 

“Tranquility,” one word for an amateur artist to describe his favorite beach. One day, he had a little walk on the sand with his furry “man’s best friend”, the Labrador. It was a beautiful afternoon; the sun painted the sky yellow and gently sparked each wave with its silver light. The man brought a canvas and some bottles of paint with him; not to mention his favorite tools. He sat on a big rock silently, touched the smooth sand with his feet, and starred at every corner of the beach. The dog sat beside him, waiting for his master to color the plain white canvas. 

  

Suddenly, the furry friend of this man stood on his paws and bark, bringing awareness to its master. The Labrador ran like a win, leaving tiny footprints on the sand behind. His master followed him, keeping a thought that his buddy may be chasing a wild bird. But not long, he stopped. A woman, stroked the Labrador’s fur, was staring at him deeply. She then, smiled, and walked away without any words. She entered a big cave near her, leaving many questions for the man. “Wait…” he tried to call the woman, yet she did not return. The sky turned dark, and still in curiosity and confusion, the man decided to go home, while having hindsight along the way. 

“Beautiful yet mysterious. Flawless, yet silent. Who could she be?” the man brooded, trying to solve the afternoon’s riddle. He took his pencils and began to sketch on the canvas. The dog opened its eyes wide to watch every line his master created on the canvas. Time went by as thick lines, soft lines, sharp lines, and faded lines united in the entity of a face, a prominent face to the man.  

Her hair, seemed soft like golden velvet, covered her head perfectly. Her dark eyes are as deep as the ocean, Her red lips are half-opened; it seems like words are struggling away from her mouth. The man checked on his recent masterpiece happily, while still wondering about the identity of this woman on his canvas, and in his mind. 

The next afternoon, the man came by again with the sketched canvas in his arm, and with the dog who walked beside him. The man, once again, gazed on every corner of the beach, searching for a figure.  

“Looking for someone?” Someone asked from behind. The man spontaneously looked back with a gasp. “I was looking for you,” he said, while showing his sketching to the woman. 

“Looking for me?” She smiled. “You do not need to look for me. I’m a part of you. I am you.”

“What exactly did you mean?” He asked desperately. The woman touched his cheek and gave a deep stare. The man saw himself in the woman’s eyes while flashbacks are racing in his mind. The giant rock in which he used to sit while creating his masterpieces, was once a place for this woman to brood in the afternoon. 

“You were me, and I am you in the present.” She returned the canvas to him, disappeared from the man’s sight. The man checked his sketching again; it was no longer colorful. The sketching turned colorless; black and white, like sceneries from the past. While still representing flawless, beautiful, yet silent and mysterious figure, the face of the woman never looked the same again to the amateur artist. 

THE RED BALLOON

This was an assignment for my English Project at school. 

It’s December, one snowiest month in every year. A boy was said to be dying by the doctor because of a deadly disease he suffered. He only had 2 days left to survive, and he was willing to spend the 2 days to do something for others. He checked his piggy bank; there were only a few cents in it. He checked his closet; his mom already donated all of his old clothes a week ago. He checked his drawers; there are many crayons, papers, and three red balloons. What can I do with these, he thought. Suddenly, as fast as a lightning at a stormy day, he got an idea. He colored each paper, put it inside of the balloon, pumped them, and freed them to the air.

~

And old lady sat on her old couch, all alone and lonely. She starred at the window, seeing the outside world where the children play and where the adults are having neighborhood gathering. Suddenly, a shiny red balloon appeared and landed in front of the old lady’s window. She was surprised as she opened her window and picked the balloon. She popped it and opened the folded paper curiously. A huge colorful smile decorated the paper and enlightens the whole room in an instant. The smile made this old lady remembered her beloved husband and how loving he was, and how his husband loves her chicken pie so much. She began to cook two lovely and warm large dishes of it, took a pink sweater that was a gift from her husband, and went outside to the group of playing children and the adults. Everyone smiled welcomed her to the gathering, which was a pleasant surprise for the old lady. She was no longer lonely.

~

A young man was driving his car to work. He missed his family; he went far away from home to find a job as a father and a husband. He kept driving until he saw a red balloon fell on the street. He stopped curiously and popped the balloon to see a message inside of it. A colorful drawing of a huge smile appeared on the paper, amazed the man’s eyes. He felt warm and content, and saw a shivering beggar sat on the street not far away from him. He took off his jacket and gave it to the beggar. Besides, I already have too many jackets in the closet, the man thought as he walked away, shivering yet happy.

~

A woman was just having a fight with her best friend when she was going to work and found a strange red object gently hit the frozen bushes. She came closer to find that it’s a red balloon with a message inside of it. She pulled the message and found a large drawing of a smile, somehow making her realized how much her best friend meant to her, and how ridiculous the fight she just had. She ran to her house, knock the door, and apologize. Her best friend, who is a nurse, smiled.

~

A nurse checked the report given by the doctor of the dying boy, surprised by the result. She came to the boy’s loving mother to tell the news. The nurse, who was a best friend of the woman who received the red balloon, explained in such excitement, having no idea that the boy overheard the whole conversation behind his door. He was getting better and better, he could survive from the deadly illness. The boy smiled.