Light Bulb Poem by Sapardi Djoko Damono

A hanging light bulb burns bright in the room. The man
entwines his fingers and their shadows move
on the wall; "That's a deer," he says.
"Hooray!" shout the children. "Now a tiger!"
"Here's a tiger." Hooray! "Now an elephant, a wild boar, a monkey . . ."

A light bulb wants to turn itself off. It feels as if
it were in the middle of a jungle. It hears
the clamour of the beasts. Suddenly it feels
alien and uncared for.

Translation: Hasif Amini and Sapardi Djoko Damono