Daniel, The Parties Are Over

Daniel, The Parties Are Over

By Ferdinand Siregar

Translated by James Penha

 

In the moonlight, Daniel, in shadows

dark as the blood throbbing through his body,

dark as the footsteps he hears in the sand,

smiles at stolen memories, frowns

at forgotten promises.

 

Once his golden years glittered on

his stand beneath the beach trees.

Many came for refreshment

and thirsty paid to savor

Daniel's fruit, the flesh so fresh

they found it bitter sweet.

 

Daniel sold his nights to buy his days:

money in pockets, chains around neck,

friends abounding to share the riches

of his harvests. He glided along

the shore evading only arms of justice.

 

But how many politicos and artists

shared Daniel's goblets, dribbling

talk of grand favors and fame

before they found fresher crops?

 

And now Daniel hawks durian

among the apples and grapes

for the price of a package

of fried rice for his dinner.

 

Oh, the apples and grapes still attract

some but the rankness of the durian

puts them off for fear

of tears that wound white skins.

 

Home alone, Daniel mourns

for his stolen trade,

the parties and the hands

from one knob to another.

"My grip is steady now," he says,

sucking his thumb for comfort.

 

__________

 

Daniel stares at the mirror,

counts wrinkles in time:

more to face; fewer to end,

and he whispers to the glassman,

"Daniel, the parties are over."

Daniel, Pesta Sudah Berahir

oleh Ferdinand Siregar

 

 

Daniel melihat bayangannya di bawah terang bulan

gelap, seperti darah yang mengalir di tubuhnya,

kalam, seperti jejak kaki yang ia lewati,

tersenyum pada kejahatan

geram akan impian yang tak terwujud.

 

Ketika tahun-tahun keemasan menymari

dipasar, di gelapnya panti.

Oraang-orang datang mencari kepuasan,

yang mabuk siap membayar

akan nikmatnya buah segar

pahit mereka rasakan.

 

Ia lewati malam-malam dikesunyian hari:

uang di saku permata ia kenakan,

semua teman berkumpul merayakan

hasi panen berbuah pahit.

Ia beli sayap untuk terbang

jauh dari hukum dan keadilan.

 

Dirjen dan seniman

datang untuk nikmati, manisnya buah

dan janjikan masadepan dan ketenaran.

Tapi itu, sebelum, mereka

memetik buah yang lebih segar.

 

Sekarang Daniel menjajakan durian

dianatar manisnya buah apel dan anggur

Sekedar membeli nasi bungkus jalanan

Untuk makan malam katanya . . .

 

Oh, orang cuma datang membeli apel dan anggur

benci akan bau durian.

Itu membuat mereka sakit,

takut akan duri akan melukai kulit mereka yang putih.

 

Daniel menjerit

menangisi lahannya yang tergusur,

rindu akan pesta dan kerabat

dari satu pintu, kepintu yang lain.

"Saya punya tulisan tangan yang rapi," katanya,

tapi ia pulang sambil menggigit jari.

 

__________

 

Daniel berdiri di depan cermin,

menghitung kerut, takut akan waktu:

semakin banyak di wajahnya, berkurang di pantatnya,

perlahan ia berbisik kepada orang di dalam kaca,

"Daniel, pesta itu sudah berahir."


Ferdinand Siregar is an Indonesian writer whose recent works include the poem "The Border Man" (forthcoming in The Polyglot) and the short story "The Cinnamon Forest" (Big Pulp).

A native New Yorker, James Penha lives in Indonesia. Nominated for Pushcart Prizes in fiction and poetry, his LGBT speculative story “Leaves,” also set in Indonesia, was a finalist for the Saints and Sinners Short Fiction Contest. Penha edits TheNewVerse.News, an online journal of current-events poetry. @JamesPenha

Previous
Previous

Blood Ties

Next
Next

Kale Chips