Saturday 19 January 2013

Simply complicated



it's complicated, i said  --
no, it's really simple, you said --

"roll your "r" like "rrr"
and k is "c" as in car "  


Selamat pagi (Good morning) 
Apa kabar? (How are you?)

your voice is gruff and coarse 
as you sprinkle red pepper and spice
over bubur ayam  (chicken congee) --

i decide to try a less-foreign fare  
for breakfast - nasi goreng (fried rice)
topped with egg (no spice please) -- 

we are eating in crowded food stall,
smell of the heat and spices are stifling
amidst head scraves and batik shirts -- 

outside, street vendors are selling
fresh fruits in a plastic plate - watermelon, 
kedondong, green mangoes, ripe papaya and rose apple -- 


Food (makam)
Delicious  (enak)


i nibble on krupuk (deep fried crackers) until 
saffron clings to my hair and  hot chili pastes (sambal) 
lingers on my lips--

after one month, we said 


Terima kasi (Thank you)
Selamat tinggal (Good Bye)

there is no "maybe" or "someday" in your tongue,
time is yesterday, today & tomorrow --

it's simple, you said --
no,  it's very complicated, i said --


Posted for:   D'verse Poets Pub - Poetics of Foreign Tongues - hosted by Fred Rutherford.
I visited Jakarta, Indonesia, many many years ago but until now, l still remember the hot chili food.   
Shared with Poets United - Poetry Pantry

59 comments:

  1. haha...this is a winner grace...you taught me along the way and it felt so natural within the scene...but please dont hold the spice for me....haha...i like it...there is no maybe or someday...i rather like that actually...really cool...

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    1. Thanks Brian ~ But this language really doesn't have tenses in their verses ~

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  2. so picturesque, and I'm also hungry now...

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  3. smiles...lovely conversation...really felt like in the middle of the scene...simply complicated...learning another language isn't easy but he sounds like a good teacher..smiles

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    1. Thanks Claudia ~ Learning a language is a challenge ~

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  4. I love the language of food of any language, Grace. What a wonderful scene you described....loved the names of the foods!

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    1. Thanks Mary ~ I must admit the picture makes me hungry ~

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  5. Oh wow. This is fantastic. The subtlety of incorporation here is magnificent. Cooking worked so well here. Absolutely love the intro, perfect beginning to this piece. Thanks

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    1. Thanks for the wonderful prompt Fred ~ It was fun writing this ~

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  6. Not only do you treat us with another language, but another cuisine as well. Nicely done, Grace. And welcome, again.

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    1. Thank you Victoria ~ When I think of foreign tongues, I think of food ~

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  7. Wow Grace. You did a marvelous job with this. I see a love story with lots of spice and flavor. A good-bye when the food is finished. Ha. I really enjoyed this.

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  8. Kehadapan Cik Grace,

    Amat bagus sekali bahasa Melayu Cik Grace. Diharap Cik Grace akan terus menggunakan bahasa yang indah ini.

    Pulau Pandan jauh ke tengah
    Gunung Daik bercabang tiga
    Hancur badan dikandung tanah
    Budi yang baik dikenang juga...

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    1. I wish I can speak Malay but I don't~ Thanks so much for the lovely note ~

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    2. You see, Grace your Indonesian was so good and natural, I thought you had perfect command of Malay. I will give the translation then...

      Kehadapan Cik Grace, (To Miss Grace,)

      Amat bagus sekali bahasa Melayu Cik Grace. (Your Malay is very good)
      Diharap Cik Grace akan terus menggunakan bahasa yang indah ini. ( I hope you will continue to use this beautiful language)

      Pulau Pandan jauh ke tengah (Pulau Pandan far out at sea)
      Gunung Daik bercabang tina (Three peak Daik Mountain)
      Hancur badan dikandung tanah (Even when dust turn to dust)
      Budi yang baik dikenang juga...(Your kindness shall not be forgotten)

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  9. I'm glad I'm not the only one who gave a few language lessons along the way - there are 4 words for beer in mine, although they'll work in a lot more countries than that!

    I love the opening - the contrast between how easy your won language seems to you, and how complicated it is to an outsider. I also loved how you used that to close both your poem and (?) the relationship being described here.

    Muy bien.

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    1. Thank you Tony ~ Hasta la vista..he..he...~

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  10. ...salamat Grace sa napakalinamnam mong handog para sa araw na ito... (thanks Grace for a most delicious offering for today)... You are guiding us all throughout the entire read... nagsasalita ka ba talaga ng indonesian kasi mukhang gamay na gamay mo ang lengwahe nila e...hihi...(do you really speak in indonesian coz you seemed so at ease with their language.. hihi..)... Anyway, i really enjoyed it Grace...salamat!!! Smiles...

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    1. Walang anu man Kelvin ~ Hindi ako marunog magsalita sa Tagalog nor to write it fluently too ~ Maraming salamat din sa iyong pagdalaw ~

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    2. ...Oh no...Grace... paano mo ginawa yan? (how do you do it?) para kang totoong pilipino kung magtagalog ah...nagulat talaga ako...(you seemed to be like a real Filipino when you talked in tagalog...i was really surprised...) siguro me kasama ka dyang pilipino sa tabi mo no...para isalin ang mga english mo...(tell me, do you have somebody there who do translations of your english?)....ha...ang kulit...lol...hehe...

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    3. Nakakatuwa ka Kelvin ~ I can understand the language but to write it is very slow for me ~ Hindi tayo magkalayo nag-lahi even though nasa Canada na ako ngayon ~ Have a good morning to you ~ Smiles ~

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    4. ...you mean Filipino ka din? ang kulit talaga...surprised pa din ako until now... greatest surprise of the day...haha...kaya pala magaling kang magtagalog...nagtaka lang ako kasi alam ko too impossible for google translate na isalin exactly ang tagalog sa english or vise versa...unlike pag french or spanish...almost natatranslate ng google sa close na meaning...haha...smiles... So nice to meet another filipino at the pub...woohooo...

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    5. How lovely to see you guys connect here. You see Kelvin, it was good to introduce your tagalog here.

      Cheers...

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  11. I like the way you've given the narrative a poetic structure here with the translations and the pairing of phrases at the beginning and end. It's a beautifully crafted poem - simple while complicated - and lovely to read.

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  12. This is beautiful as usual Heaven, you never let me down with your writing.

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  13. Well done, Grace. Once again, you employ the senses well, and the contradiction of the two characters was my favorite. I think it just might be complicated, too :) You and Claudia are both making me want to update my expired passport and hop on a plane!

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    1. Me too Lori ~ But tomorrow we are having thai food for lunch ~

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  14. I love Indonesian food, and thoroughly enjoyed the conversational style of your poem.

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  15. rarely simple, always worth it

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  16. this touches so many senses, smell, the sights, but mostly what's on the tongue, and not just the tastes, but the tastes of the sounds too

    Bichon Frise

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  17. A delicious poem with an equally delicious close.. it's complicated... isn't it always - smiles.

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  18. A tantalizing Jakartan smorgasbord for the senses--one can't help but respond. Well done.

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  19. Agh! Lost my comment - but what it said, and I do, is that this is just so very well done. Vivid, exotic, clever - just terrific. Wonderful. k.

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  20. The best things aren't simple I suppose but complicated can cause woes. Nice lesson along the way, enjoyed this one much at your bay.

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  21. Oh, I really like the parallelism in your poem. You always manage to weave (delicious) culinary and sex allusions into your poems. Another sensual one.

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  22. Fabulous - agree with everyone - you taught as you composed - you talented poet you!

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  23. That's fantastic, Grace! You got it perfectly right! That's my language too! It's easy apparently as the foreign workers here can easily get their way around within weeks. Nicely!

    Hank

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  24. it is interesting what is explicit or missing in a language

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  25. How sweet and beautiful it is! I think you just taught me how I really need to express romance in MY poems! Plus, it's so yummy, I'm hungry!

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  26. Tasty words in many ways. Enjoyed this.

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  27. Yum - tasty indeed.

    I would find life difficult without maybe and someday...say so much - yet say nothing.

    Language is a complicated thing.

    Anna :o]

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  28. This is fabulous! I just spent a few days in LA and enjoyed meals in the Farmer's Market where fare from nearly every culture is available. The scents and flavors came back to me while reading your well-crafted poem.

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  29. I think this may be the main difference between women and men - what we see as complicated, they see as simple. Loved the couching of the conversation in food descriptions. Just a wonderfully spicy read!

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  30. When language = culture, translation is so hard that food and other oral arts are the only way to go. I am impressed with this encounter between a culture that demands clarity and one that pauses over the complexities. What's most amazing is how you left the masked politeness out of this encounter. Love the poem, love the food, love the pause for something more familiar in the morning.

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  31. What a thing to wake up to! Now what do I have for breakfast that wont be an anticlimax?

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  32. I always enjoy being taken away to another world by a master wordsmith, thanks.

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  33. Oh wow, Grace. This is incredible! You are so consistently good.

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  34. This is sweet (as well as spicey, lol) - and I enjoyed being taken back to my times in Bali long ago.

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  35. "it's simple, you said --
    no, it's very complicated, i said --"

    love that! and love your descriptions of the food! i bet you're a wonderful cook, Grace.

    have a great week!

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