Thursday, January 28, 2010

A Girl in Train Station

Wikan had arrived quite early at the station, despite his train to Bandung not departing until seven thirty. It was the holiday season, and most people travelling to and from Yogyakarta had booked their ticket at least six or seven days in advance. Not having planned his trip, (it was a last minute decision the boss employed to show his power) Wikan had therefore been left with the unenviable task of managing his ticket purchase from one of the many scalpers, who plied the main hall of Tugu station.

After the feverish bartering for tickets, Wikan successfully defeated his ticket rivals and entered the platform at 6.10am, holding his “double priced” ticket with a woman’s name on it. He grabbed a local newspaper, looked for a chair in the waiting lounge, but then, unexpectedly, his attention was instantly captured by the girl, whom he recognised immediately. Her complexion, dark and divinely beautiful, distinguished her as a single, luminous black pearl amongst the bustling crowd of the pale morning light. She had tied her curly hair with an ochre band, but much of it had escaped and now impulsively framed her face.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Halves of a Night

: S. A

Came home twenty minutes late, you're contented
with sand of time in your pocket, stolen
from the shore when the moon seduced her.
But then in your bedroom you found the storm
still thunderous. There was heavy rain, lightning,
and memories exploded from inside you

You had to wait until later on everything was quiet.
Only twigs and leaves, drying on your bed, scattered
as you watched the seasons drifted on the verandah.
It was late of night, and you cried.

(You left the door open. A mongrel walked in,
by the window, healing her past unnoticed
behind the darkness. It was late of night
and the dog looked pity at you in silence,
'do you want me licking your wounds too?')

--09/12/09--05/01/10--
© Era Fiyantiningrum