Paper Boat Poem by Sapardi Djoko Damono

When you were a child you made a paper boat and sailed it
on the river shore; the stream flowed gently, and
your boat swayed its way towards the ocean.
"It will stop at every big port," an old man told you.
Feeling happy, you went home with vibrant pictures
in your head. Since then you kept expecting to hear
by chance any news about the boat that was
always on your mind.
At long last the message reached you from that old man, Noah. He said,
"I used it in a big flood and your boat
is now stranded on a hill somewhere."

Translation: Hasif Amini and Sapardi Djoko Damono