Joko Pinurbo's poems

Joko Pinurbo was born in Sukabumi, 11 May 1962, lives in Yogyakarta. Died in Yogyakarta, Saturday, April 27 2024.

2016 UOB PAITING OF THE YEAR

Untitled #11 by Zusfa Roihan 2016

Khong Guan Banquet

In the tin of khong guan
life is hard and bitter
it feels crunchy like rengginang.

Veiled in the blue sky,
a mother with a strong heart split
and chopped up the moon
and gave it
to her gushing children.

The children are anxious
because their father
hasn't come home.
"Your father was borrowed by the state.
I don't know when it will be returned," the mother explained.

Then they took a selfie in front of the dining table: "Let's be happy."

It turned out that the father was hiding behind him, eating rengginang crumbs.

(Jokpin, 2019)

Khong Guan Eid

When I arrived
at the threshold of your embrace,
I heard the ringing of longing
and the screech of firecrackers
in the khong guan can.

(Jokpin, 2019)

Khong Guan Rain

You were stunned
to hear the rain falling
on the can of khong guan
that a boy had placed
in front of the house.

The boy
looked scared
to see you
staring at his face
in surprise.

In fact
he is just afraid
of growing up
because when he grows up
he will interpret rain
as a blessing
or a disaster,
even though he wants to
br/>rain is still rain.

(Jokpin, 2019)

Khong Guan's sleep

Your naughty little boy
slept soundly while cradling
an empty can of khong guan
.

When he woke up and opened the can, he was delighted to find two pieces of wafer tucked among his sweet and illogical dreams.

(Jokpin, 2019)

Khong Guan Drink

There is no one more steadfast
than the Sapardi congregation:
early in the morning before worship taking a shower
they opened a can of khong guan
filled with June rain
and made it
pain reliever drink.

(Jokpin, 2019)

Said Khong Guan

In the midst of days
full of wrath and strife,
I saw your shining picture
on the khong guan can, Gus,
chatting with the twilight
which will soon disappear
and you calmly said,
"There is nothing more that can be
said when words
have been filled with hatred and prejudice."

(Jokpin, 2019)

Confucian Religion

Rengginang cheered
when religions united
in the can of khong guan.

(Jokpin, 2019)

Khong Guan Family

Many people are curious:
why is the father figure
in the khong guan family
never seen at the dinner table?

Said his son,
"My father is learning Indonesian
which is lost between
foreign languages ​​and the language of the streets."

His daughter
replied, “My father
is becoming a confused and indecisive nationalist
.”

The mother spoke up,
"Your father is becoming a print newspaper that is increasingly being abandoned by readers and advertising."

"Hopefully Dad will still come from the east, Mom," said the two smart children.

"Your father is so stupid
where do you want to come from," replied the mother.
"The important thing is that you can go home
and eat together."

(Jokpin, 2019)

Homecoming Khong Guan

The khong guan can flew
carrying my wavering heart
to my hometown
which no longer has a yard.

(Jokpin, 2019)

Khong Guan Prayer

The mother's prayers that were preserved
in a tin of khong guan
were cooked, ready
to be served at the dinner table
for her child who didn't know
when he would come home.

(Jokpin, 2019)

Khong Guan parcel

Let's open
what's inside this can of khong guan:
biscuits
peyek
chips
ampiang
or rengginang?

Simsalabim. Open!

The contents turned out to be
cell phones
ATM cards
tickets
vouchers
medicine
amulets
and petrified pieces of longing
.

(Jokpin, 2019)

Khong Guan's heart

My mediocre heart
has become a biscuit
in a khong guan tin.
I ignored it at first,
didn't arouse my appetite,
over time, haha, it's gone Also.

(Jokpin, 2019)

Note: Poems-these poems were published in the daily Kompas on August 31 2019. Reloaded to accompany the departure of < a href="https://www.kompas.id/label/joko-pinurbo?open_from=automate_body_url">Joko Pinurbo.