EWITH BAHAR

 

 

Joy And Sorrow

 

We choose joy and avoid sorrow

But they always come hand in hand

alternately changed dwelling in our hearts

As inseparable pair

 

God draws joy and sorrow

In our huge canvas

Strongly written on a silvery scenario

 

Sometimes we unrecognize joy

Without experiencing sorrow

God hides a sugar in grief to be found

when He turns our teary mourning

into jolly dancing.

 

War Field In Mouths

 

Before the graveyard

My pores absorb the calmness and tranquility

The soil under my feet,

cold breeze across my face

and the white flowers close by the headstone

here, I hear a noise of a true peace

 

I stand in pensive silence, thinking

When they quitted talking

they discovered what they mostly wanted

when they stopped quarrelling

 they found what they mostly hoped

 

here, we still pursue what they have possessed

because we’re still talking, debating, fighting

war field is in our mouths

the strangeness lasts for ages

the mouths are busy campaigning peace,

but make war.

 

EWITH BAHAR

 

EWITH BAHAR is a multi-award-winning poet, novelist, translator and essayist from Indonesia, with a long-time career in radio and television industry. She has published eleven books, in all genres: poetry, novel, short stories, and essays. Her poems were published in many newspapers, journals and online medias, home and abroad. And also, can be found in approximately 90 poetry anthologies in Indonesia and international level. She’s also editor for more than ten poetry anthologies since 2014. The recent ones, as co-editor for poetry book with hundreds of poets from five continents, World Contemporary Poets, and as editor-in-chief for World Poets’ Legacy, that gathered almost two hundreds international poets. Many of her poems have been translated into foreign languages, such as English, Spanish, Indian, Serbian, Armenian, Uzbek, Tajikistan, Bengali, Nepali, French, Italian, Arabian, Chinese, Catalan, Bulgarian, Montenegrin, Macedonian and Korean. One of her poetry books, Sonata Borobudur, got a prestigious prize from Indonesian National Library as The Best Five Indonesian Poetry Books 2019. 2021 and 2022, she won third place in the two essay writing competitions, each on literature and insurance. And in 2023, her another book, Impromptu Terzina, won the top literary prize "Anugerah Buku Puisi Terbaik" (The Best Poetry Book) from Indonesia Poetry Day Foundation. As a literary activist, she joined many international literary associations and communities. She is a secretary general of Poetry and Literature World Vision; once appointed as a member of Organizing Committee of yearly Panorama International Literature Festival in 2021, 2022 and 2024, organized by Writers Capital Foundation, as a prominent collaborative event between India and Italy. August 2021, she obtained an honor as a keynote speaker, conveyed virtually, in a K.M. Anthru International Literary Prize in India. She is now active in KaBi (Kanal Buku Indonesia – Indonesian Book Channel) and as a public speaker for creative writing, communications and bibliotherapy.