In The Land of The Malay

Syamsu Rizal:

In the land of the Malay fishermen have the hearts of ocean
there’s no place to dress up
but songs of the wave that does not grasp the land
In the land of the Malay, boys turn into ponds
that write letters to God about life after death,
while verses of sea’s conceit linger
In the land of the Malay, men are scattered bodies
running off without bracing themselves,
ending up without any land

Syamsu Rizal, Pulang Penyengat, Riau
Draft translation by TQ
Source: Kompas 26 September, 2006, reported by Indira Permanasari