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Noandy Jan 2016
Laut Anyelir*
Sebuah cerita pendek*

Apa kau masih ingat kisah tentang laut di belakang tempat kita tinggal? Laut—Ah, entah apa nama sebenarnya—Yang jelas, itu laut yang oleh paman dan para tetangga disebut sebagai Laut Anyelir. Kau mungkin lupa, sibuknya pekerjaan dan kewajibanmu jauh di seberang sana sepertinya tidak menyisakan tempat-tempat kecil dalam otak dan hatimu untuk mengingat dongeng muram macam itu. Tapi aku ingat, dan tak akan pernah lupa. Hamparan pantainya yang kita injak tiap sore setelah bersepeda selama 10 menit menuju Laut Anyelir, angin sepoinya yang samar-samar membisikkan gurauan dan terkadang kepedulianmu yang terlalu sering kau sembunyikan, dan bau asinnya yang busuk seperti air mata.

Kau mungkin  lupa mengapa Laut Anyelir disebut demikian.

Kau juga mungkin sudah lupa ombak kecil dan ketenangan Laut Anyelir kala malam yang terkadang berubah menjadi merah darah saat memantulkan bulan serta arak-arakan awan dan bintangnya.

Iya, pantulan bulan dan bintang yang lembut pada air Laut Anyelir pada saat tertentu berwarna merah,

Semburat merah dan bergelombang,

Seperti rangkaian puluhan bunga Anyelir merah yang dibuang ke laut lambangkan duka.

Biasanya, setelah terlihat berpuluh bercak-bercak merah melebur di Laut Anyelir, akan ada sebuah duka nestapa yang menyelimuti kita semua. Mereka bilang, laut bersedih dan melukai dirinya untuk hal-hal buruk yang tak lama akan datang. Menurutku itu kebetulan saja, mungkin hanya puluhan alga merah yang mekar atau ada pencemaran.

Tapi aku masih tak tahu mengapa semua hal itu selalu terjadi bertepatan,

Dan, sudahlah, laut itu memang cocok disebut sebagai Laut Anyelir. Aku tidak berlebihan seperti katamu biasanya.

Kau sangat suka cerita sedih, mungkin sedikit-sedikit masih dapat mengingat kisah sedih dari paman yang juga tak percaya soal pertanda Laut Anyelir, cerita soal kekasihnya yang hilang saat mereka berenang di pantai sore hari ketika kemarin malamnya, air laut berwarna merah.

Benar, hari ulang tahun mereka bertepatan, dan pernikahan untuk bulan depan di tanggal yang sama juga sudah direncanakan dengan baik. Kekasih paman sangat jago dalam berenang, ia mengajari paman yang penakut dengan gigih, sampai pada sore hari ulang tahun mereka, paman mengajaknya untuk berenang di Laut Anyelir sekali lagi,

Sebagai hadiah,

Untuk menunjukkan bagaimana paman mengamalkan segala ilmu yang diajarkannya, sebagai pertanda bahwa mereka dapat berenang bebas bersama, kapanpun. Mereka memakai pakaian renang sebelum mengenakan baju santai dan berbalap sepeda ke pantai seperti yang biasanya kita lakukan. mereka langsung berhamburan ke Laut Anyelir tanpa memperdulikan desas-desus tadi pagi bahwa kemarin malam airnya berubah warna. Kekasih paman sangat terkejut dan bangga melihat jerih payahnya selama ini terbayar. Berbagai macam gaya yang ia ajarkan telah dilakukan oleh paman, dan sekarang ia akan mencoba menyelam dengan melompat dari sebuah karang tepat di tengah laut. Paman mendakinya—Ia handal mendaki, dan sekarang handal berenang—Lalu menatap kekasihnya dengan rambut kepang dua yang melihatnya begitu bahagia. Ia melompat dengan indah, dan meskipun sedikit kesusahan untuk kembali menyeimbangkan dirinya dalam air, paman akhirnya muncul dengan wajah sumringah, memanggil serta mencari-cari kekasihnya.

Tapi ia tak ada di sana,
Ia tak ada dimanapun.

Itu kali terakhir paman melihat kekasihnya, melihatnya tersenyum, sebelum akhirnya ia menemukan pita merah rambutnya terselip diantara jemari kakinya.

Malam menjelang, semua warga dikerahkan untuk mencari kekasihnya, namun sampai bulan penuh terbangun di langit dan dilayani beribu bintang yang menyihir air laut menjadi kebun anyelir, kekasihnya masih tak dapat ditemukan.

Itulah sebabnya apabila mendengar laut berubah warna lagi kala malam, paman tak akan memperbolehkan kita untuk mendekati laut sampai dua hari ke depan.

Kau bukan saudaraku—Bukan saudara kandungku. Tapi aku menganggapmu lebih dari sekedar teman, bahkan lebih dari saudara kandung atau saudara angkat. Kau bukan saudaraku, tapi paman begitu peduli padamu seperti anaknya sendiri. Sama seperti bagaimana ia menyayangiku.

Dahulu kami hanya rajin mendengarmu, tetangga pindahan, memainkan gitar di kamarmu sendirian, melihatmu dari balkon lantai 2 rumah kayu kami sampai kau akhirnya sadar dan tidak pernah membuka tirai jendelamu lagi. Mungkin kau malu, tapi kami masih dapat mendengar sayup-sayup suara gitarmu. Namun setelahnya, paman justru hobi melemparkan pesawat-pesawat kertas yang berisi surat-surat kecil. Mereka kadang berisi gambar-gambar pemandangan alam—Salah satunya Laut Anyelir—Dan surat-surat itu sering tersangkut di tralis kamarmu. Akhirnya paman memberanikan diri dan menggandeng tanganku untuk segera mengetuk pintu rumahmu, usiaku belum beranjak belasan, dan aku hobi mengenakan celana pendek serta sandal karet yang mungkin tidak cukup sopan dipakai untuk memperkenalkan diri. Tapi kalian tidak peduli, dan menyambut kami dengan ramah—Paman menceritakan bagaimana ia menyukai musik-musik kecilmu, dan mengajak kalian untuk melihat-melihat keadaan sekitar sekaligus berkenalan dengan para warga,

Paman mengajak kalian ke Laut Anyelir,

Kalian menyukainya;

Dan paman mulai bercerita soal kisah Laut Anyelir yang menghantui, serta ketakutan-ketakutan warga. Tapi ia belum menceritakan kisahnya.

Namun kalian, sama seperti kami yang menghibur diri,
Tidak peduli, dan tidak takut akan semburat merah pertanda dari Laut Anyelir.
“Benar, itu mungkin hanya kebetulan!”
Sahut kalian.

Hampir dua tahun kita saling mengenal, dan pada hari ulang tahunmu, paman mengajak kita semua untuk berpiknik di pantai Laut Anyelir pada sebuah sore yang cerah. Aku memakan lebih dari 3 kue mangkuk, bahkan hampir menghabiskan jatahmu. Tapi tidak masalah, orangtuamu juga tidak menegurku. Kau sudah menghabiskan jatah klappertaartku, dan menyisakan hanya satu sendok teh.

Apa kau masih ingat betapa cantiknya Laut Anyelir saat matahari tenggelam? Seperti sebuah panggung sandiwara yang set nya sedang dipersiapkan saat-saat menuju lampu menggelap. Matahari sirna dan berganti dengan senyum bulan di atas sana, bintang-bintang kecil perlahan mulai di gantung dengan rapih,

Dan air laut yang biru gelap berubah menjadi lembayung,

Sebelum akhirnya mereka menderukan ombak, dan terlihat bercak-bercak merah pada tiap pantulan cahaya bintang. Sekilas terlihat seperti lukisan yang indah namun sakit. Kalian tidak takut, justru takjub melihat replika darah menggenang pada hamparan lautan luas dengan karang ditengahnya. Paman langsung menyuruh kita semua untuk bergegas membereskan keranjang piknik, dan berjalan pulang diiringi deru angin malam. Ia tak memperbolehkan kita mendekati pantai esok harinya.

Esok lusanya, kedua orangtuamu pergi ke kota untuk melapor pada atasannya, kau dititipkan pada paman. Mereka berjanji untuk pulang esok harinya,

Tapi mereka tidak pulang.
Mereka tidak kembali,
Dan kita masih menganggapnya sebagai sebuah kebetulan saja.
Kau bersedih, namun tidak menangis.

Aku yang sedikit lebih gemuk darimu memboncengmu dengan sepeda merahku dan mencoba untuk menghiburmu yang terus-terusan memeluk gitar di Laut Anyelir. Aku yakin saat itu aku pasti sangat menyebalkan; terus-terusan berbicara tanpa henti dan menarik lengan bajumu dengan erat sampai kau memarahiku karena takut akan sobek.

Tapi akhirnya aku berhasil membujukmu untuk memainkan gitarmu lagi, kau tersenyum sedikit,
Dan entah kenapa aku cukup yakin kau mulai tidak menyukaiku karena terlalu memaksa;
Namun menurutku itu sama sekali bukan masalah.

Kau mulai tinggal bersama paman dan aku sejak saat itu, dan menjadi kesayangannya. Ketika kita sudah cukup dewasa ia selalu membawamu saat bekerja di toko jam—Kau sangat handal dalam merakit jam serta membuat lagu-lagu untuk jam kantung automaton dengan kotak musik—dan aku ditinggalkan sendiri untuk mengurus pekerjaan rumah. Tapi tetap saja aku tak dapat menghilangkan kebiasaanku untuk menyeretmu bersepeda ke Laut Anyelir saat senggang dan tidak bekerja; kau akan memainkan gitarmu dan aku akan entah menulis surat untuk teman-temanku atau menggambar, dan terkadang menghujanimu dengan berbagai pertanyaan yang tak pernah kau jawab.

Begitu kita kembali, paman yang biasanya akan menggantikanmu untuk bercerita dan bercuap-cuap sampai makan malam dan kita pergi tidur.

Kau orang yang pendiam,
Dan aku yakin paman kesepian.
Orang yang kesepian terkadang banyak berbicara.

Seiring usiaku bertambah, cerita menyenangkan paman terkadang berubah menjadi cerita-cerita yang pedih dan menyayat hati. Kau tak mengatakannya, tapi aku dapat melihat dari matamu bahwa kau sangat menikmati mendengar cerita seperti itu. Aku tak menyukainya, tapi aku tak akan menyuruh paman untuk berhenti bercerita demikian. Kalian berdua membutuhkannya.

Saat itulah paman menceritakan kisah tentang dirinya dan kekasihnya saat kita akan menyelesaikan makan malam. Aku kembali tidur dihantui cerita mengenai laut yang melahap kekasihnya itu. Dalam mimpi, aku seolah dapat melihat ombak darah menerjang dan melahapku. Aku tidak ingin hal itu terjadi padaku, padamu, atau pada paman. Aku mulai menghindari Laut Anyelir pada saat itu.

Bunga Anyelir,
Dalam bahasa bunga, secara keseluruhan ia menunjukkan keindahan dan kasih yang lembut, seperti kasih ibu, kebanggaan, dan ketakjuban; namun kadangkala kita tidak memperhatikan arti masing-masing warnanya—
Anyelir merah muda berarti aku tak akan pernah melupakanmu,
Anyelir merah menunjukkan bahwa hatiku meradang untukmu,
Anyelir merah gelap merupakan pemberian untuk hati yang malang dan berduka.
Kurasa semua itu menggambarkan Laut Anyelir dengan tepat.

Setelah itu paman mulai makin sering bercerita soal kekasihnya yang hilang di Laut Anyelir. Aku tidak tahu mengapa, namun sore itu kau begitu ingin untuk pergi ke Laut Anyelir dengan gitarmu. Kali ini kau yang menggeretku menuju tempat yang selama beberapa hari kuhindari itu, kau tahu bagaimana aku menolak untuk pergi, kau yang biasanya tak ingin repot bahkan sampai menyiapkan sepedaku dan mengendarainya lebih dahulu.

Aku tak ingin kau pergi sendirian, aku mengikutimu. Kurasa tidak apa, tidak akan ada apapun hal buruk yang terjadi. Lagipula kita tidak akan berenang atau berencana untuk pergi jauh setelahnya.

Aku mengikutimu menuju Laut Anyelir. Kau duduk tanpa sepatah katapun, hanya menatapku. Dan mulai memainkan Sonata Terang Bulan oleh Beethoven dengan gitarmu saat matahari menjelma menjadi bulan. Saat itu barulah aku tersadar bahwa itu hari ulang tahunku, dan kau sengaja memainkannya untukku. Malam itu kita menghabiskan waktu cukup lama di tepi Laut Anyelir berbincang-bincang, meskipun aku lebih banyak berbicara daripadamu. Aku tidak membawa surat-suratku, jadi aku hanya bisa memainkan dan memelintir rambutmu sambil berkata-kata.

Kita menghabiskan waktu cukup lama di tepi Laut Anyelir, dan tidak menyadari bahwa air lautnya berubah menjadi merah. Aku terkejut dan berlari seperti anak anjing ketakutan ketika menyadarinya; kau berganti menarik lengan bajuku dan berkata bahwa tidak apa, bukan masalah. Aku, kau, dan paman akan terus bersama. Mungkin Laut Anyelir berubah merah bukan untuk kita namun warga pemukiman yang lain, pikirmu.

“Jangan berlebihan, kau manja, selalu bertanya, dan terlalu membesar-besarkan sesuatu.” Katamu, sekali lagi. Itu hal yang selalu keluar dari mulutmu.

Pintu rumah kuketuk, paman membukakan. Aku terkejut ketika tahu bahwa paman sudah menyiapkan banyak makanan kesukaanku termasuk klappertaart; kali ini aku tidak memperbolehkanmu untuk memakan klappertaartku. Ternyata ini rencana kalian berdua untuk membuat pesta kecil-kecilan di hari ulang tahunku, merangkap ulang tahun paman keesokan harinya.

Paman, tidak kusangka, ingin mengajak kita untuk berenang di Laut Anyelir esok. Ia ingin mengingat masa mudanya ketika menghabiskan banyak waktu berenang bersama kekasihnya di Laut Anyelir, dan kata paman, kita adalah pengganti terbaik kekasihnya yang belum kembali sampai sekarang.

Aku tidak ingin mengiyakannya, mengingat barusan kita melihat sendiri air laut berubah warna menjadi merah darah. Tapi aku tak ingin kau lagi-lagi mengucapkan bahwa aku manja dan berlebihan. Aku menyanggupi ajakan paman. Namun aku takkan berenang, aku tidak pernah belajar bagaimana caranya berenang, dan tidak mau ambil resiko meskipun aku percaya kalau kau dan paman akan mengajariku.

Esok pagi kita berangkat dengan sepeda. Kali ini paman memboncengku, dan kau membawa keranjang piknik yang sudah kusiapkan sejak subuh serta memanggul gitarmu seperti biasa.
Begitu tiba, kau dan paman langsung menyeburkan diri pada ombak biru Laut Anyelir dan berenang serta mengejar-ngejar satu sama lain. Aku duduk di tepian air, menggambar kalian yang begitu bahagia sampai akhirnya kalian keluar dari air untuk mengambil roti lapis dan botol minum. Setelah menghabiskan rotinya, paman berdiri dan kembali ke air sambil berkata lantang,

“Aku akan mencoba menyelam dari karang itu lagi.”
Tanpa menoleh ke arah kita.
“Jangan, paman. Kau sudah tua.”
“Sebaiknya tidak usah, paman. Hari makin siang.” Kau juga mencoba menghentikannya, tetapi paman tidak bergeming. Ia bahkan tak menatap kita dan terus berenang sampai ke tengah. Kau mencoba menyusulnya dengan segera, tapi sebelum kau sampai mendekati karang,

Paman sudah terjun menyelam.

Setelah tiga menit yang terasa lama sekali, kau menunggu ditengah lautan dan aku terus memanggil paman serta namamu untuk kembali ke tepian, paman tetap tidak muncul.

Kau menyelam, menyisir sampai ke tepi-tepi untuk mencari paman, namun hasilnya nihil, dan kau kembali padaku menggigil. Aku membalutkan handuk padamu, dan meninggalkanmu untuk kembali bersepeda dan memanggil warga yang tak sampai setengah jam sudah berbondong-bondong mengamankan Laut Anyelir dan mencari paman.

Malam hari datang,
Hari perlahan berganti,
Bulan demi bulan,
Tahun selanjutnya—
Paman masih belum kembali, dan kita tak memiliki kuburan untuknya.

Kita tinggal berdua di rumah itu, kau bekerja tiap pagi dan aku memasak serta mengurus rumah. Disela-sela cucianku yang menumpuk dan hari libur, kau rupanya tak dapat melepaskan kebiasaan kita untuk bersantai di Laut Anyelir yang sudah lama ingin kutinggalkan. Aku tak dapat menolak bila itu membuatmu senang dan merasa tenang.

Dan aku bersyukur,
Selama hampir setahun penuh, sama sekali aku tak melihat air Laut Anyelir berubah warna lagi menjelang malam. Memang beberapa hal buruk sesekali terjadi, namun aku sangat bersyukur karena aku tak melihat pertanda kebetulan itu dengan mata kepalaku sendiri.

Pada suatu hari kau memberiku kabar yang menggemparkan, ini pertamakalinya aku melihat senyuman lebar di wajahmu; kau terlihat semangat, bahagia, penuh kehidupan. Kulihat para pria-pria muda di sekitar sini juga sama bahagianya denganmu. Mereka bersemangat, dan mereka bangga akan adanya hal ini karena ini adalah waktu yang tepat untuk berkontribusi kepada negara. Katamu, tidak adil bila yang lain pergi dan berusaha jauh disana sedangkan kau hanya berada di sini, memandangi laut.

Kau memohon untuk kulepaskan menjadi sukarelawan perang, dan aku menolak.
Kau memohon, aku menolak,
Kau memohon, aku menolak,
Aku menolak, kau memohon.

Dan karena aku sepertinya selalu memberatkanmu, atas pertimbangan itu, aku ingin membuatmu lega dan bahagia sekali lagi—Aku akhirnya melepaskanmu untuk sementara, asal kau berjanji untuk kembali kapanpun kau diizinkan untuk kembali.

Kau tak tahu kapan, dan aku akan selalu menunggu.

Aku akan selalu berada di sini, dengan Laut Anyelir yang berubah warna, dan hantumu serta hantu paman
Gitarmu yang selalu kau rawat,
Untuk sementara waktu aku takkan bisa menarik ujung lengan bajumu,
Dan tak akan mendengarmu memanggilku manja dan berlebihan.

Kita tidak pergi ke Laut Anyelir sore itu, begitu pula esok harinya. Kita sibuk mempersiapkan segala hal yang kau butuhkan untuk pergi, aku memuaskan menarik ujung lengan bajumu, dan menyelipkan harmonika pemberian paman yang tidak pernah bisa kugunakan untukmu.

Ia akan lebih baik bila berada di tanganmu, dan ia akan menjadi pengingat agar kau pulang ke rumah, kembali padaku.

Kita tidak melihat ke Laut Anyelir sampai hari keberangkatanmu, di mana dengan sepeda kau akhirnya memboncengku untuk pergi ke pelabuhan. Kita tidak melihat Laut Anyelir, aku tak tahu apa airnya berubah warna atau tidak.

Setelah kau naik ke kapal d
PJ Poesy May 2016
}I{
“Sinuhe”

King Khety is blinking madly
Haruspex has left him ominous oracle
Sinuhe is on his return, fugitive no more
Sinuhe brings with him enemy’s daughter
Not prize, Nefru his wife and Libyan lore
Sinuhe from slavery came, poet she did adore

Egyptian tombs do tell in detail
Hieroglyphic tales, this juncture of peril
Khety not King, but Sinuhe’s noble brother
Knows true King come to claim throne
Sinuhe the nobler, knows a life of none other
Than slave sold by Odious, the step-mother

Yes Queen Odious, deep in den of asps
Collected poison venom to undue her marriage
To Sinuhe’s father Merikare, Pharaoh of Moon
Odious’ ghastly act nearly tore Egypt in two
Her derangement sent Sinuhe far across sand dune
Odious took crown, added gilded teeth of baboon

Made her son King, though he did implore
Khety saw insanity and for what, he was in store
Khety remembers his Great Father’s words
“The heart of someone who listens to his temper
Is doomed to follow the stink of camel herds
Better to let heart fly upon sky, as do birds”

Yet by years tormented, Khety became undone
More like his mother and even more sniveling
Than the Odious one, so he did as he was told
Incessant dribbling marked a life for him
He minded his words lest he knew he’d be sold
Mother’s high priest Abhorus was bitter and cold

Sinuhe’s struggles were unknown to King Khety
Years of near starvation and wearisome labor
Made Sinuhe the better man, as he did never forget
Assurances of his noblest Father, Pharaoh Merikare
Virtue ascribed, Sinuhe kept valor in each trial met
Furthermore, his noblest task still to come as of yet



}II{
“Numidian Queen”

Nefru, Numidian Queen to Land of Libya
Recalls young slave Sinuhe’s hostility to captivity
His intelligence overcoming, who once would be King
Of Egypt had not violent arm but ferocious mind
Using wit to overcome adversity and words he did sing
To free his self of internment and all oddity it did bring

Nefru looks upon loyal husband Sinuhe
It is an arduous journey this man has taken
Her commitment be bound now by ivory ring
Loyalty to this man before all forsaken
It is spring, and amongst abundant life come dead things
Fledgling birds first flight failed or so siblings did fling

Now swept into his pilgrimage, Nefru perceives
All adversity Sinuhe did overcome so nobly
To her, he is chukar, partridge of rare plumage
It is to the ground, which this bird be bound
Never reaching sky, low brush be its’ *******
Though its’ song give to her heart an anlage

Freedom from slavery, is Sinuhe’s triumph
Vindication of crown be the mark of new flight
He prays to Horus Behudety, Winged Sun God
Nefru knows of her husband’s will and might
She gifts to him her father’s pinioned golden rod
Scepter of enslaver Mehru, and his feathered shod

It was not of great agreement by Mehru
Should his daughter Nefru marry a slave?
Much less to son of Merikare, an arch enemy
Yet he be so brave, impressions of Sinuhe’s strength
Be made so to change, very nature Sinuhe’s destiny
So much so, Mehru did lament in Merikare’s elegy

So it came to be, a slave marries Queen
Sinuhe and Nefru’s love broke all patterns
Such a love to win hearts of, Gods and Goddess’ unseen
Who rule other worlds and all rings of Saturn
History had never known affection so purely clean
Gatherings from far off fields came to witness such glean



}III{
“Haruspex And Detritus”

Haruspex, soothsayer speaks in half-truths
King Khety believes only small contingent
Be on way to Byblos, presently approaching Qedem
Little does he know, armies of Elephant in tow
Masses of feathered and golden archer’s stem
Blessed by breath of Bat, Goddess and her phlegm

Detritus, Animal Man, hired scout to King Khety
Possesses claws and hair of lion, his home Serengeti
Animal Man’s mane is thrashed in thorns and rubble
Smells of cat ***** but has nose that knows much
Such why Detritus be tolerated, though be much trouble
Haruspex twists tale of tailed man, speaks of him double

Calls him lazy, shiftless, yet Haruspex be cryptic mess
Detritus be banal yes, but true to Khety none the less
Knew his father well, Merikare be his master
It was always Queen Odious, Detritus distrusted
Knowing her demonic betrayal and Egypt’s disaster
She kept him in gypsum cave, scratching alabaster

Kindness had left this Kingdom sometime ago
When Odious and Abhorus overthrew rule
Merikare Moon Pharaoh mummy cry from tomb
Sinuhe ripped from his side by Abhorus
His funeral a very mockery and Detritus’ doom
Haruspex made way from Libya, eyes mucous rheum

Planted by Mehru, Haruspex be sent through desert
King of Libya be wise, sent this oracle as disguise
Not soothsayer at all but spy of opposition
King Mehru knew upon Moon Pharaoh’s death
Peace upon land would not soon come to position
Quickly he sent Haruspex, strangest magician

Detritus knew by the first smell of him
Haruspex came from earth west, not with best
Intentions to natural order of land and sky
And this test of two egos be quite perplexed
With each other and another reason why
This brawny epic riled through years gone by



}IV{
“Ode ‘O’ Odious”

Motioning her battalions, priests and beasts
Evil Queen who overthrow, joins Abhorus’ feast
Beldams be this clergy, **** all about Odious
Snapping of rabbits heads in cacophony of blood
Plunking chalices of malice’s, sacrifices melodious
All in dark chamber halls in depth’s commodious

Stretching of intestine to fine tune harp
Butchers waylay innards with daggers sharp
Mawkish music be Odious’ fame
Concavity’s entrance a perilous scarp
Passers-by enticed by bergamot oil’s flame
Fall to their death to be eaten by dame

Ode ‘O’ Odious, Ode ‘O’ Odious
Drunken mayhap through day and nightcap
She rumpus muck, she ruckus all luck
Ode ‘O’ Odious, Ode ‘O’ Odious
Chambers fill with all matter of bile guck
Bites cobra tails, hooded heads protrude to ****

Death be her power to innocence’s pain
Queen Odious oblivious to her own danger
Seems unstoppable to submissive subjugates
Spinning her terror, cackle calls to maidens
Fem ferocious, how ‘O’ Odious undulates
Casualties collected in long hundredweights

Probity of her high priest be none
Abhorus puppets Odious and will be done
With her second rare blue water lilies run out
The Nile produces this flower of intoxication
Extinction of it is of all certainty, no doubt
Named after her, O Odious flora beguiles lout

Ode ‘O’ Odious, Ode ‘O’ Odious
It is Evil Sorceress and midnight blue flower
Power of it be all in her high flighty head
She misuses its’ tincture to her own final hour
Harvesting it foolishly, nearly till it is dead
And when it is, it will be to all worlds’ dread



}V{
“Oasis In Iaa”

Sinuhe receives word elephants parched
Water need be found, arduous trek campaigned
Nefru never witness such worry, Sinuhe’s face
Ox tail be split to drain nourishment from beasts
No water for miles, no sea birds upon sky to trace
Sinuhe prays, “Montu, God of War find oasis to race!”

Sekhmet, Archer Goddess visits Nefru
Great Lady is besieged by dessert’s spell
Hallucinations bring mirage to Nefru’s sight
Transfixed on dessert’s horizon her eyes
Contingents warriors, bands of archer’s fright
Paths set forth, only to journey by starlit night

At dawn Sinuhe strands his band
Takes his most devoted men of arms
Bhaktu, Parsi, Rhaktu, follow their Lord
Each having faith in man and his wisdom
Eastward they find Syrian tribe in horde
They are welcomed, none need draw sword

Master of Syrian tribe Abu Sefa
Understands who Sinuhe is and was
Orders falconers to find Nefru and throng
Apprises Sinuhe of oasis beyond hummocks
All are soon joined together in wine and song
Oasis found, Iaa, fruited land and lagoon long

Khety is warned of revelry in Iaa
Sends legions Egyptian arms, by order Odious
Anubis, jackal head God given zebra sacrifice
Detritus employed for battle with spears
Copper shields, mediocrity will not suffice
All swords be sharpened by order thrice

Lifeblood battle of Egypt ensues
Sinuhe taken off guard in Iaa,
Elephant screams to be heard for miles
Bhaktu cut down, Rhaktu not found
Parsi’s archers never saw such trials
From lagoons come seething crocodiles



}VI{
Twist Of Fate

Rensi was chosen by Abhorus to speak for Khety
As High Priest, Abhorus did most doling of employs
This proxy Rensi though, be mockery of King
His speech more stammered than Khety’s noise
Grossly disfigured as well, soundings as mice sing
Rensi aware of this, musters all dignity he may bring

Perigee moon at present, o howling now
Hyena laughing at dissertation of Khety’s proxy
Ill ease overcomes this Rensi, an impediment
Speech undone on terrestrial stairs to Memphis
Escalades flora, fauna; monsoons washing sediment
Tefnut, great rain goddess turns world to excrement

This not so illustrious disquisition muted
By torrent winds and torrential liquid compounds
Tefnut’s tears plunk upon all, turning mud blood
Looking out from his great house Khety embroiled
Bares soul to Sobek-Re, Crocodile God; Sun and Crud
Sobek-Re answers prayer, suspending flash flood

In Iaa, as gore of battle ensues, fate lose
As twist of tale find new bemuse and worlds infuse
Detritus sees his lost master Sinuhe encroaching peril
This recognition swells an emotion deep and confuse
Detritus bent in memories flash reacts nobly not feral
With a roar to be heard over all, clamor become sterile

Sounds of battle cease and gaze of majesty
Sinuhe seeing Detritus is overcome by sensibility
Two old beloved friends stare upon each other
Dragging swords behind each move to indemnity
Embrace of each other; secures allegiance another
Sinuhe kisses feet of Detritus; calls him “brother”

As witness to such, all weary legions unite
Moon turn blue, assured sign of Pharaoh Merikare
Mehru’s star battalions federate Moon Pharaoh’s armies
Together as one to Memphis they shall siege Khety
Overthrow Queen Odious and her sinister parties
This mainly being High Priest Abhorus’ autocracies



}VII{
Epitaph Of Detritus

Odious in lair drinks tinctures blue water lilies
Abhorus her advisor suggests only more intoxicants
Khety is shrilling at sight of this deceptive lure
Haruspex makes prophesy of Detritus’ betrayal
Khety sends hunters to trace Animal Man’s spoor
Abhorus finds more legions of archers to procure

Leaving Iaa and moving toward Memphis
Detritus is fitted by Nefru’s maidens new armor
Embroidered with gold, a striped khat is made to adorn
Detritus is humbled by Sinuhe and Nefru’s gifts
His body is perfumed and oiled; his mane then shorn
Beholden to the true King of Egypt, Detritus is sworn

Two men of different lands, both once slaves
Overcome their adversities and rise upon sun
Sinuhe and Detritus’ bond is legitimately noble
Wearing of these worlds bare them new providence
Seemingly this union appears fortuitous global
Keeping steadfast of Abhorus’s archers now mobile

In Sakkara, south of Memphis come tempest
Raining arrows as if raindrops, Sinuhe’s challenge
Detritus’ valor finds reckoning to his last will
Defending Sinuhe, Detritus falls to cumulating
By strength this virtue witnessed, Sinuhe rise still
Throwing down legions of archers, making his ****

Abhorus, Odious, and Khety with no troops left
Surrender to Sinuhe upon his return to Memphis
Odious drinks last vials blue lily tincture, expires
Abhorus struck dead by hand of Khety in resolve
Khety bows to Sinuhe and his Queen as requires
King Sinuhe , Queen Nefru read parchments and fliers

In honor of great Detritus and his noble deeds
Commissioned is greatest sculpture Animal Man
During its’ long construction, most joyful jinks
Song and dance to honor a great warrior true
Each artisan so proud to have heritage to links
Of Animal Man, Detritus, now known as Sphinx
This is my adaptation of The Tale Of Sinuhe. It is the oldest known work of Egyptian literature. This epic poem was written by me with the intent of creating a puppet opera. I hope to collaborate with other poets, musicians, artists and puppeteers to see this come to life. Between each chorus should be arias which embellish the plot and theme. If you may be interested in working on this piece, please let me know via private message. I hope to make it a collaborative work.
Riken Nov 2018
I hear Him call to me within the rush of busy streets,
ever so quiet but very much there

He speaks to me
Wonders where I am
Tells me that I know better
I know where I truly belong
He tells me to come and stay there with Him
So vast a place, so much to explore
So much still left unseen

"Come with me" He says "I can take you home"
He pulls on me when I submerge myself
The feeling of comfort
The caress of the water as a reminder
Remember feeling weightless
Just floating with no gravity

The deeper I dive in
The smaller my problems seem
The farther away I feel from the chaos
He keeps me safe as I float
And watch all of my depression and anxiety
They sink to the ocean floor like rocks

I must heed His call
Or risk being lost to the chaos

Forever keeping my eye on the horizon
Yash Feb 2020
Bleeding, missing platelets
Like a fountain, Exsanguination
Carcass, skin and bones left
Bury me, burn me, you better remember me.

Boy, get your paws right off me.
Growl, howl, gnaw, all you want.
Do not defile me. Leave, run for your life
Go face your reflection and scream, monster.

Snaked Nile, blue and white
carry the scratched Sarcophagus
to the end of the world.
Mummified monster.

Relic of the dark past
Monster of today
Destroyer of the bright future.
Don't let him escape, I pray to Horus.

Oh, the divine one-eyed one
heed my prayers.
Isis, guard him like Ra
Fear him like Apophis.

Otherwise, like ISIS
he will destroy your dreams, Mesopotamia.
Possessed by Set, blinded by red
Constrain him before he kills your Osiris.

Swamp, sudden snap. The jaws of Sobek
One monster to the rescue of the other.
Great Khnum, carry the golden coffin to the sea of chaos
destroyed by Isfet or swallowed by the black snake. Keine pflege.

Nephthys. Water, flood him
bury him deep within the death bed.
Vater, Moustached black man
Ich werde dich nicht vermissen.
Just to help understand this, this poem uses a lot of Egyptian mythology references and the end of the poem uses german words.
Mateuš Conrad Jul 2022
ah... Saturday... completely switched off...
in between watching the Wimbledon matches
a nature show came on...
all about bears...

                           bears... funny creatures...
pretty ingenious creatures...
    i think my totem is a bear...
     perhaps it should be a fox...
or an owl... perhaps even a rat...
    maybe a wolf... or a European bison...
or a stork...
      but i feel like a bear...

i'd oddly placed in this world...
i'm a carnivore that's actually an omnivore...
i have thumbs and pandas have
sort of thumbs too...
   pandas need to sit down to eat...
horses... maybe my totem is a horse...
or a boar... perhaps a snake...

but i like bears...
   i sort of walk about lazily like one: from time to time...
bare: bear: beard: beer...
at least in my native language the word
for bear is: niedźwiedź...
bare: bear: beard: beer...
  boor... that's another b-b-but... of course...

i think evolution span to great jokes...
man and bear...
       let's face it... what animal is intelligent
enough to grow thumbs...
and... tell winter to *******...
eh? the hardships of winter?!
   i think i'll just sleep it off...
and come autumn... when all the fruits
have fallen and are starting to ferment...
i think i'll eat like 100kg of rotting apples
and get drunk...

i've seen footage of drunk bears...
no cat video can top it...
drunk bears and drunk deer...
          i mean: cat videos are boring my comparison...

so in between watching Wimbledon this
bear show came on...
          they're carnivores but some "chose" to be
herbivores, they forage... men used to forage...
some are omnivores...
   the only carnivore among them is
the polar bear... what the **** grows in the Arctic
that also green? there's nothing green
in the Arctic except for the Northern Lights...

i feel like a bear...
           i want to be the joker among the carnivores...
be like: hey! look at me!
i can eat berries too! i can slurp honey
climbs trees like a monkey and rip into
coconuts... i swear to god...
apply biology to a geological timeline
and i can almost see some strange creature
emerge out of the bear that would
completely obliterate the origins of monkeys
and the evolution of monkeys...

or perhaps... that wouldn't be the case...
and that's only because bears are loners...
oddly enough: i'm a loner too...
sure... when social-stresses come into play
i switch gears... but... dump me in
a forest and i'll start wandering...
on the odd occasion i might curse at myself...

then again: bears don't have a clue about
conjuring a minotaur, a cyclops(e),
that horse-man-torso-"thing"... or mermaids...
then again: the Egyptian gods had heads
of animals and bodies of man...
hard to combine...
there was never an ancient Egyptian god
with a head of a monkey and a...
a shaved body of a monkey...
      i wonder why they were blind to such
imaginings... perhaps they feared
the obvious?! the similarity?
                            
they must have sensed it back then...
  they would rather put a jackal's head on a human
body than put a chimp's head on a human body...
name them: Amun,
      Anubis, (i'll exclude Apophis and Ma'at)...
  Ra, Horus... Thoth... Sekhmet...
                   Sobek...
but to be honest... i never found the Egyptian myths
alluring... i just mention them now because
i'm thinking about bears...
    but i couldn't just chop my head off
and chop a bear's head off and switch...
for starters... invert this head-chopping business
and put a man's head on a crocodile...
or put a man's head on a cat... or a crane...
hell... sure... enlarge the body of the animal...
for the "shoe to fit"... and what do you get?
sphinx riddles...
                    i'm really ******* surprised the ancient
Egyptians didn't invent the guillotine...
i'm actually shocked they didn't...

wow... what a strange advert: get better therapy...
it has a woman talking to her
Google Nurse... gizmo... or whatever you call
her... the grand A.I. project...
interesting is a buzzword for the tool...
toxic relationships etc. and the advert ends
with: seek real contact with real people...
are there unreal people? most probably...
are there unreal objects? yeah... inanimate objects
that can travel at the speed of light:
given that light is animate "object"....
the sun might be an orb in the sky...
but look at it with naked eyes and you'll
soon see the Ultraviolet pulverising sheen on it...
it doesn't shine... it doesn't glow... the moon does
that...
         the sun is chaotic... it sort of twirls
and "froths" and whirls... in Ultraviolet...
              it's like a melting metal when sieved...

come to think of it... is anything in this world
inanimate? French philosophers loved thinking about
chairs and tables...
i like to think of a chair on an abstract planet...
is the chair inanimate? but the planet is moving...
this advert prompted me...
so many people live a life of lacking question-worthiness...
people ask these stupid questions about
their stupid mistakes they keep repeating...
like the phenomenon of the recurrent dream...

only today i had a "blackout" dream where i was
eating a burger... but i think it was a dream
that informed me that someone was dreaming about me...
because i didn't see anything:
i think i just read while asleep: YOU'RE EATING
A BURGER... am i? i didn't see ****...

i'm dying to find out if i can write the...
right... at least the Hebrews are consistent with their
deity: they always said: it's all scripted...
there's no imagining "him"...
right... so what's the Tetragrammaton in Katakana?

    my best approximate is:

ヤハワ    (ya-ha-wa) - hmm...
                     i know, right... no Adam-and-Eve of the original
hiding of the vowels... and that W is not part of wHEN
but part of vERY...

what's the alternative?
       it's sort of "counter intuitive" when it comes to Katakana...
since? the language is orientated
with syllables that begin with consonants:
consonant-vowel...
there are no syllables of a vowel-consonant nature...
there's MA
                   but no AM...
and with the mysterious Katakana N sharing equal
status with the vowels... hmm...

so it's like: can you please hide a Y in an A?
that's how it works... i had it all wrong...
i seriously had it all wrong... the whole WIKIPEDIA
matrix of Katakana was not
about hiding an A in a Y... but a Y in an A...
for example...

    it's not about hiding ア in ヤ (A in Y)
but Y in A: ヤ in ア...

          タ (T) in ア (A) and not A (ア) in T (タ)...

K (カ) in A (ア) and not ア (A) in カ (K)...
it even looks logical like that... how the vowels
accommodate the consonants,
they "unravel"...
even though there's no AK to each KA...
the vowels are ingesting consonants...

there's only one "strange" dynamic...
between the free-standing vowels and the only
free-standing consonant: N...

the vowels:

ア イ ウ エ オ (a, i, u, e, o respectively)

   the "consonant" N: ン...

it works differently in this instance...
in this instance the "consonant" is ingesting
the vowels... not the reverse of the vowels ingesting
the consonants for the syllables...
just look:

ナ ニ ヌ ネ ノ (na, ni, nu, ne, no, respectively)

but all other consonants work in an opposite
dynamic: although they're written as BA MA KA...
how they're written is actually AB AM AK...

but of course i'd also revel in Hangul...
the Korean script...
but not all websites are compatible with it...
while almost all are compatible with
the Katakana...

i feel like a bear...
            and i'm also feeling terrible English...
there's this current ad. project...
crisps in? or crisps out? in / out of where?
sandwiches... IN! IN!
but unlike someone who's "terribly" English...
sure... crisps inside sandwiches...
but i'm talking about vegetable crisps...
dried beetroot, dried carrots...
dried sweet potatoes, dried parsley...
i don't mean putting standard potato "fries"
into buns of bread-dough... with cheese...
maybe some fresh celery stalks...
some pickles... yummy... i'm already salivating...

last night i got back home around 2am... limping...
the previous night i had a tumble on the stairs...
drank about 35cl of whiskey... tumbled...
****** up one of my toes...
throughout the shift i was walking with a quasi-limp...
trying to re-orientate my toes so i could
place my foot better...

i got home and drank another 35cl of whiskey...
went to bed around 4am... woke up around 2pm...
i felt mentally exhausted...
i love it when they throw me into these situations
above my usual pay-grade...
while about 12 people have been laid off...
i'm still punishing myself with ambition...
well: if i'm aiming to be a chemistry teacher...
might as well learn crowd control...

even today: i'm not even drinking that much...
but i'm already exhausting myself mentally by
peering into the Katakana...
i already mentioned: i would look into Hangul more
often if i could simply ctrl+c / ctrl+p more
of the script... but i'm only allowed 2 examples
of Hangul at a time...

for example?!
                           너    (-|)
     N  (eo)                                 i.e. you...
sort of... better example on:

oh man... but that match at Wimbledon?!
   between  Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas
today?! that was something...
this is me returning to the sensible secular reality of...
i started watching a tennis match...
i ended watching a tennis match...
but there was this bear show in between matches...

i suppose any European can appreciate
either Hangul or Katakana...
   personally? i can't be the next Ezra Pound and fall
in love with Chinese ideograms...
just like most Europeans can't fall in love
with Russian ideas...
       i abhor English egalitarianism...
                         a lot of people abhor Communism...
i abhor that Capitalism usually invokes
making money from the misery of other people...
or the concept that they are nothing
but useless consumers...
    hmm... just start buying whiskey...
the odd shoe once in a while...
and bicycle parts...
                                start going to prostitutes rather
than trying to get a girlfriend and spend
money on gigs...
       i've distanced myself from pair-bonding...
i can't stomach that pair-bonding *******
when in public... i couldn't stomach a girlfriend
who ended up telling me "what a special we were"
when she was competing for the attention of other
women to show me off...
        
and how hard is it for two bears to mate?
given they solitary creatures?!
pretty ******* hard... but it's purer than some
chimpanzee harem...
perhaps bears didn't evolve to shed their fur
for a ****** good reason...
personally?! i too would love to hibernate
and never have knowledge of winter...
no... i take that back... i wish i could sleep through
the summer... i abhor this cult of:
*** only happens in the summer...
    *** should happen in winter
so that two bodies can warm each other...
counter what nature dictates...
after all: i stand outside of nature,
i stand outside of time i stand outside of space...
i am the abstract quantum of this world...
because i admire fire as much as i fear it...
should i find myself in a forest ablaze...
because i admire water as much as i feart it...
should i find myself in a leaking boat
in a middle of a storm at sea...
    but compare that with drinking a glass of water
on a humid day...

that's my answer to: and you will know the difference
between good and evil...
by consensus that's already decided:
but it's lied about... it's left hidden... for the advantage
of others to gain from...
will i be conflating polar opposites?
will i call night day and day night
should i venture as far north as Alaska during the summer?
should i call 4pm night during winter
but also call 4pm day during summer?

eh... sure... perhaps Latin looks sterile... it doesn't have
a Nomadic aesthetic similar to either Arabic
or Hebrew... but i don't appreciate either
of these scripts... none of them could
have perfected mathematics
in a way that Latin script could...
the Ancient Roman concept of the coliseum would
never be translated into a football stadium
(that massive hole in the ground,
like a meteor crater of the past rumbling
and agitating the present) like the Latin script has
preserved...

since even the dangling sacrifice on the crucifix
couldn't overpower the stature of the Latin script...
i'll call it what it was and is:
a Greco-Hebrew conspiracy against the Romans...
even that couldn't undermine the death
of this script like what was used to undermine
the death of the Babylonian Cuneiform...
and sure... the Glagolitic script died...
   as did the Runes... but they are still retained
and fondly remembered...

but of all the other scripts of the world?
i have envy for two... the Katakana and the Hangul
(the Japanese and the Korean)
respectively... i have no care for the Mandarin
hieroglyphs... they do not speak more sounds than
me: i speak more sounds than them...
their encoding is just too pedantic: ancient even...
alien...
               because they write without
a consonant to vowel differentiation...
Mandarin isn't superior: it's all ******* emoticons!

🐩 🍞💩

basically: less skeleton and more form,
which reads as: dog eat ****...
            but hieroglyphs are hieropglyphs...
the eat might as well have been written as
ate...
     dog ate ****... who cares if it's a poodle?!

i couldn't find an emoji with eating...
so i chose bread...
because... what do you do with bread?
throw it?! you throw rotten vegetables
in a theatre... cabbages and tomatoes...
the best you can do with bread
is dry it... in an oven...
so it doesn't venture into... turning mouldy...
or you soak it up... in milk...
and mix it with pork meat...
and create Slavic pork-burgers...

dog bread ****...
i.e. dog ate ****... no?!

just reminiscent of yesterday... how stressed i was
at the beginning... but then how i dug deep
into the role... how other supervisors spoke
of trouble with some of the stewards
and how i had: ZILCH...
you're never up in a hierarchy...
you're always down... ******* down...

it's so much better to keep them in position
and if they're gagging for a coffee...
you get the coffee for them...
you don't tell them to ask for a toilet break:
you just allow free reign...
it's not ******* prison...
         when you give them free food
how happy they become...
of course i fancied two of the girls on my shift...
one ****** Somali goddess...
i swear i was looking at the Queen of Sheba for a bit...
then this mixed race girl with
my wild hope: god give me a girl with curly hair...
god give me a girl with curly hair...

but i kept roaming... i was always present...
my feet ached by the end of it...
but CONTROL messaged me... 0 times...
i told them: you can be on your phones for as along
as it might take to pretend to checking the time...
how many did go on their phones?!
none...
                  i'm going to celebrate myself...
why the **** not...
   i did a good job... i fed my "pride"...
my... "heard"... i checked on each one...
are you happy? yep... most were happy...
i was just waiting for one of them to say the words:
it was a pleasure working with you...
once that dropped i knew i was waiting
for some other people to get fired...
for... egoism... nothing else... pretentious egoism:
"pretentious" without any cultural
knowledge...

**** me... some websites allow Katakana...
all the emojis... but no enough Hangul...
****** me off...
        
i was really enjoying this match-up between
Kyrgios vs. Tsitsipas...
                it's tennis... ****'s sake with football...
then again: it's tennis... and not squash...
i just remember myself being stressed...
but once the herd / pride were fed...
it's how you look...
               people respond to looks so
much differently when it's otherwise an attitude
assurance...
              the less i spoke the better they
behaved... and the fact that i kept them fed...

walking and walking... more walking...
                 more walking...
                              even i was telling them:
i'm tired of ego-mani(a)c hierachic busy-bodies...
obviously i had one lose canon...
i told the rest of them:
just break yourselves... ignore him...
ignore him...
                 they ignored him...
let him... let him: feel rejection...

                        he's a spare wheel
when the 4 are already working...
                my pride... my herd...
                             that's what i was aiming at:
a reminder... can i work with Matthew?!
i just need that... i need the word to be passed along...
what did "Matthew" do?
he allocated us breaks...
he fed us...

                   that's all i need...
                                 i don't need ego-tripping
hierarchical measures being implemented...
i know i'm dealing with jokers:
but i'm also not a woman...
i don't need minor cues...
as a man i know that when i snap
i'll bite rather than shout...
    
                 perhaps that's why i love the ontology
of masculinity...
           ontological-masculinity is
the antithesis of what's to be ever approached
via the movement of feminism...
the counter to feminism is... ontological-masculinity...
crazy women and ***** men...
perfect coupling... although there's a "third":
***** men: perfectly crazy:
as the prostitutes disclose... ***** men and
prostitutes...

— The End —