Forest's Virginity

You have desecrated the forest's virginity,

that created a hole in the sky,

and made Mother Earth cry.

All continents have been burned out by yellow rain,

and our future has disappeared in the shadows.

You have defiled the forest's virginity

that made the sun pour on us a rain of fire,

And the wind has stopped blowing

until the end of time.

-- By Ngatini Rasdi

Translated by TIS

In Remembrance of Tom

You are gone

Without warning,

Your e-mails suddenly stopped last Monday.

No more greetings in the morning as I open my computer,

No more hugs and kisses to ease my hectic days.

You are gone,

Under a truck on one foggy morning as you jogged.

It happened so fast,

There was no breath left,

There was no goodbye saved.

The drunken truck driver took your life away

Only a week before your 30th birthday.

So many things unspoken,

So many promises left broken.

So long my friend,

Till then...

-- By Handayani Pratowo

5th May, 1999

For Tom Shutter -- Rest In Peace