Magic Lamp Poem by Ahmad Arli Hikmawan

Humming around the bay
Under a clear sunny day
Walk across the hemisphere
Standing in front of the rear

Run toward the mountain
Speaking with the fountain
Explore like a tramp
Seeking a magic lamp

Here comes the granter
What do you desire?
Anything you sought.
Just say it aloud!

Never forget to negotiate
Any problem to eliminate
Remember to perceive
Souls are expensive

Stand below the waterfall
At the center of forest hall
The ritual will immediately start
After the deal has been marked

The wishes come true
That broken parts have renewed
The money tree has grown
All thanks to the drowned

Now he has all he wished for
Every power he has long for
Nothing left to attain for
Yet he demands for more

As the time goes by
The new parts will die
The money tree will dry
The drowned will say good bye

The role is now reversed
A dream has become a curse
The granter demands his soul
He must now become a hollow

The soul-less wandering around
Ghosts follow it like hound
After it has passed away
It will join the Way

(Jakarta,19 August 2009)