Not funny

Reading the poem Sour and sweet always meet (The Jakarta Post, July 27, 1996) in "Your Letters" column, I am compelled to make this comment. The poet apparently wanted to be funny, but what was written about Pak Djuana and ilk is not funny at all.

I personally like humor, but the wording might easily be misinterpreted and cause trouble, especially during these turbulent times. The poem haunted me for three days and nights and I lost my appetite into the bargain. I would advise the poet to choose her words more carefully and kindly allow me to cite an old saying I accidentally came across in Kenkyusha's 1960 edition of an English-Japanese dictionary: Sile et philosophus esto or, in the Queen's English, "Hold your tongue and you will pass for a philosopher."

PAK DJUANA

Jakarta