Questa è Enida

.

I don’t know what it is that has got into me lately. But to tell you the truth, I don’t really care what it is. All I know is I am so in love… with writing. Hence you see all the pantuns and sajaks coming out of my ears. If men can eat bola, drink bola, sleep bola, shop bola, kick bola, and shag their bola silly during the Cup Season, I can breakfast while writing, sleep writing, drink writing, walk writing, and oh yeah that too, writing it all in my head!

.

Yesterday, I flew writing!

.

This was one of the pantuns I flew writing between Arlanda and Sheremetyevo.

.

.

I wrote this since I could not sleep during the 125-minute flight. It’s a draft, though. I might change it to:

.

Pohon kuini daunnya sejuk,
sedikit tidak dipupuk lagi;
Pantunku ini pantun merajuk,
sedikit tidak terpujuk lagi.

.

The second pantun is not mine. It is one that I never forget:

.

Apa digarap padi seberang,
entahkan jadi entahkan tidak;
Apa diharap kasihnya orang,
entahkan sudi entahkan tidak.

.

You see, I am always drawn to this kind of pantuns as compared to the Pak-Ali-Pergi-Ke-Kedai kind of pantuns. As a matter of stating my liking, I actually despise those Pak-Ali pantuns people come up with out of laziness to find better pembayang. No, no! Don’t get me wrong! I have no problem with any Pak Ali’s in my life. Never. I loved that Pak Ali from Kampung Muhibbah. He was my Achappa.

.

Hmmm… suddenly I feel that I just made myself sound terribly familiar – when I mentioned how much I disliked those Pak Ali pantuns – and I decided to check it out. Guess what? I have said the same thing before!

.

Regardless, if I have to say it again, I will say it again. I despise any Pak Ali who has nothing better to do but going to the shop. I could not care less what Pak Ali has to buy every time he goes shopping – rokok tiga lima ka, blachan ka, telur ayam kampong ka, ikan bilis ka, cabai kering ka, kapur sireh ka, labu ayer ka, garam kasar ka, gores api keselamatan ka, rempah kari Alagappa’s ka. Aiyoiyo kadavuley, please laa bacha! Enough Pak Ali already.

.

But I once had a crush on Ali the boxer and berangan pergi ke kedai with him berpegangan tangan seiring dan sejalan.

.