about rivers

among us there is one who has
borrowed so many river spirits
moved them, even recreated them
graceful names of euphrates, tigris, rhine, nile,
huang ho, amazon, ganges
even the sick ciliwung in jakarta
the restless kapuas in kalimantan
or the doubtful code in yogyakarta

a nameless one has also told a story
of a small nameless river in their village.
a lyrical prose
that they believe come from the northern mountain’s longing
for the southern ocean. The small river that was said
to carry only a little clear water yet never ran out
shared among people, animals
even fish who were also nameless. And

still talking about rivers, I’d like to tell a story of
a blue-camouflaged road of blood that passed through
the long, slender neck down to the cleavage of my lover
for what is a river other than the love of god
for the rice plants and crops that give farmers their living.
and the veins beneath my lover’s body
are also mouthless rivers that god put in place
for a farmer or maybe a fish named
: me


nanoq da kansas
translated by Joyce Adiwinata