FRACTURED COUNTRY, Poet - Joko Pranoto (Indonesia)

FRACTURED COUNTRY
Joko Pranoto

a little bit of lime
for a fractured country

we present
a dance like lengger
without a sampur
the music is played miserably

the silent twists
the dancer's desire
is a blocked

tomorrow she forgets
how to breastfeed her baby

because a single breath
has been replaced
by a lion dance

her fate is thrown away
the neighbor strokes her chest

her small hand
is forbidden to hold

letting go unwillingly --
in which country are the successors guided

"here will stand
the pillars of nationality
don't dare speak"

the music
is increasingly heartbreaking

the sampur
is covered in disappointment

is lying in the corner of the stage

the power
tears apart the storyline
in a fractured country

the music -- decoration
the dancer -- shadow



BIOGRAPHY:
Joko Pranoto was born in Binjai, North Sumatra, Indonesia on May 24, 1965. He holds a bachelor's degree in agriculture. He has been actively writing poetry and performing in theater since 1985. His poetry has been published in the literary columns of the daily Waspada and Analisa (Medan). His play, "Subulan," won the Indonesian Playwriting Competition held by the Medan Arts Council in 1988. He has also performed as an actor and director at the North Sumatra Cultural Park Building and founded the State Children's Theater group in Berastagi and Kisaran. From 2000 to 2022, he took a break from the arts to pursue a career at a palm oil plantation. In 2025, he returned to the literary world and published a poetry book, Bunga [Not] Just Carnations. In 2026, he published two poetry books, "Yang Kutitipkan Kepadaaa Langit" (What I Entrust to the Sky) and Negeri Retak (Country Cracked).