Friday, November 29, 2013

Poem for November - No Word For Goodbye

The life of a debarked dog:
A suburban hermit - the crazy bitch
a nickname given by the neighbors
yelling at her disinfected companion
creature on wallpaper
decorative, omnipresent and void
the last messenger of Nature
in a modern household
no trespassing, private property
safeguarded by the Far West spirit
vitamins, canned food, animal salon, toy bone
cable TV network, night by night
side by side, man's best friend
from sofa to bed
in silent mode


The scenario of a weekend drive:
dressed-up urbanites
sun glasses and pop diva playlist 
agitated furry little thing at the backseat
like some restless yet belted kids
never going any further to answer
the call of the wild, while the sound system
hits the high notes, the couple's reflection
magnified in the side mirror glasses
polished, well-informed and moralist
the credit of the middle class
the reign of the barren highways
the end of the naked gaze
which box-office?
which clearance sale?
which western restaurant?
Sorry, no pets allowed


The road of the oppressed:
The Penan and their lawyer traveled
in the back-to-the-future machine
landing at the young Capital
our fellow bumiputra and bumiputeri
compromised by home-made palm oil diet
instant noodle and biscuit of same intensity
the once athletic bodies doubled in volume
strangers in their half blood's house
a soundproofing man-made jungle
no voice, no truth, no justice
the hunter gatherers
never lost in the rainforest,
now helpless in Putrajaya


A night in November,
the Penan and the generation to come
met at the Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur
a group of fight-for-justice activists, feminists, socialists
on duty journalists and photojournalists
how to explain to a calculated mind?
a community functioning on molong
never take more than you need
how to convince a sexist mind?
a relationship long before
the matriarchal or the patriarchal model
how to convince an arrogant mind?
a people live like the animal
feed on the animal
respect the animal
yet remains human

no thank you
no thief
no goodbye