Three Poems by Hendri Yulius Wijaya
photo by Giovanni Apruzzese
Frankissstein
Victor Frankenstein goes on an excursion to the Cloud.
His scientist instincts never extinguish.
Scavenging mutilated bodies:
Stomachs of the washboards, arms of gladiators,
Engorged eggplants and sumptuous melons.
A cornucopia.
Together with location pinpoints and apartment units
That are busier by the day
Than the headquarters of the United Nations
When TikTok and Instagram work together to lock Facebook up in nursing homes
Everybody competes on filter subscriptions.
Digital mannequins propped up neatly
Inside Google Drive and Dropbox
made in china only for those who still place their faith in the world map
Wildlife is not the monopoly of National Geographic
Preposterous for nature to kneel before logic, and knowledge surpassing the mystical
Frankenstein decides to
apprentice with Malin Kundang
to rebel with consistency.
Futuristic.
As well as Post-Human.
Frankissstein
Victor Frankenstein tamasya ke dalam cloud.
Naluri ilmuwannya tak kunjung padam.
Ia memulungi tubuh-tubuh termutilasi:
Perut-perut papan penggilasan, lengan-lengan gladiator, Penis-penis berotot, pantat-pantat berbobot
Berserakan.
Bersama titik-titik lokasi dan unit-unit apartemen
Yang saban hari lebih rempong
Dari gedung kantor pusat United Nations
Ketika TikTok dan Instagram bahu-membahu menyekap Facebook di panti wreda
Semua berlomba-lomba berlangganan filter.
Manekin-manekin digital berbaring rapi
Dalam Google Drive dan Dropbox
made in china hanya buat yang masih beriman pada Atlas
Wildlife bukan monopoli National Geographic
Alam mustahil tunduk pada logika, dan pengetahuan terlampau magis
Frankenstein memutuskan
untuk berguru pada Malin Kundang
supaya konsisten durhaka.
Futuristik.
Sekaligus Post-Human.
Trans*
his parents transmigrated
from Java to Sumatra during the Soeharto era
growing up with a television screen that held Johan transfixed
by Bunda Dorce who had been described as a transsexual
though she already felt like a transcendental woman
even before any genital transfiguration
when the Transjakarta bus finally began official operation
he left his home where half of his village had been transmuted by tractors
hoping that this time won’t just be a transit in the capital
transforming into Johana, before declaring herself a transgender
accused of tarnishing Eastern values, the companies refused employment
even though her hands were more than transeunt
transmissions of her breath then became dependent on
the transactions and cash transfers of men
who tragically lacked girlfriend experience transfusions in bed
and when the days steadily transitioned towards Eid
she could only pray
that tragedy does not transcribe itself:
having been turned away by airport staffs
for not appearing the same as in her photo ID.
even if her humble wish came with no transgression whatsoever
just to see her folks once more back in the village
kneeling by their feet:
for the heart of a child will never be transplanted
from wherever her parents may be.
Trans*
orang tuanya ikut transmigrasi
dari Jawa ke Sumatra pada masa Soeharto
tumbuh dewasa dengan layar televisi yang bikin Johan terpukau
pada Bunda Dorce yang disebut-sebut sebagai transeksual
walau dia sudah merasa perempuan transendental
bahkan sebelum transmutasi kelamin
ketika trayek bus Transjakarta akhirnya resmi beroperasi
dia meninggalkan kampung yang separuh halamannya sudah dicaplok traktor
berharap kali ini bukan cuma transit di ibu kota
ia transformasi jadi Johana, lalu mulai menyebut dirinya transgender
dituduh mencoreng tradisi negeri tropis, perusahaan enggan merekrut
meskipun tangannya terampil
transmisi nafasnya terpaksa bergantung pada
transaksi-transaksi dan transferan para lelaki
yang tragis di ranjang kekurangan transfusi girlfriend experience
kala hari-hari sedang transisi mendekati Lebaran
ia hanya bisa berdoa
agar tragedi sebelumnya tak akan terulang kembali:
ditolak petugas transportasi udara
karena penampilannya beda dengan foto KTP
padahal harapnya sederhana tanpa transplantasi apa pun
ia hanya ingin ketemu ibu-bapaknya di kampung
bersimpuh di kaki mereka:
hati seorang anak akan selalu kembali
pada orang tuanya di mana pun ia berada.
In & Out
enter Grindr exit in bed
enter Daddyhunt exit at the bank
enter Tinder and exit with an STI test
enter VPN exit on rags
enter Pornhub exit out TCM Clinic
enter Instagram exit with D2F—(on the) DL and Down to F*ck.
Masuk Keluar
masuk Grindr keluar di ranjang
masuk Daddyhunt keluar di bank
masuk Tinder keluar di ruang Sp.KK
masuk VPN keluar di tisu
masuk Pornhub keluar di Klinik Tong Fang
masuk Instagram keluar jadi TTM—teman tapi masuk.
ENDNOTE
Frankissstein
- – “Frankissstein” is the title of Jeanette Winterson’s novel which was published in 2019
- – [ Malin Kundang ]: Lead character of an Indonesian magic-realist folktale, who is turned to stone due to his arrogance and lack of gratitude towards his mother.
Trans*
- [ Bunda Dorce ]: Known as “the Oprah of Indonesia,” Dorce is Indonesia’s first trans superstar who had a successful entertainment career as a singer, comedian, and talk show host (from the 1980’s to 2000’s). She was often referred to as “Bunda” or “mother,” and was one of the first public figures who successfully achieved medical and legal gender transition in Indonesia. Upon her passing in 2022, her final wish to be buried in the Muslim tradition as a woman, however, was not respected by her family or religious leaders.
TRANSLATOR’S NOTES
In recent years, queer and trans Indonesians have faced unprecedented persecution and violence from both the government and general public.
Hendri Yulius Wijaya, the poet of the original work, is one of the rare handful of openly queer writers writing/publishing in Bahasa Indonesia and from Indonesia, the most populous Muslim nation in the world. Courageously speaking out through extensive articles and commentaries on Indonesian queer movements, Wijaya continued the resistance against oppression and discrimination through his debut poetry collection Stonewall Tak Mampir di Atlantis (translation: There’s No Stonewall in Atlantis).
The translator of this work, is a fellow openly queer Indonesian. Both are also of Chinese heritage, an ethnic minority in Indonesia that, as a community, has faced discrimination and persecution.
The translator has approached the translation process in the following ways:
- In addition to names of people/places/products/brands, the translator has preserved some Indonesian terms and expressions that carry culturally-specific meanings and subtexts. Their translation and contextual significance are provided as footnotes.
- Commonwealth English words and expressions in the original poems have been adapted to North American context and spellings.
About the author:
Hendri Yulius Wijaya is a writer, scholar, researcher, and author of Intimate Assemblages: The Politics of Queer Identities and Sexualities in Indonesia (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020) and the co-editor of Queer Southeast Asia (Routledge, 2022). He has also authored and co-edited several other books that range from academic essays to creative non-fiction and short story collections. For his long-term engagement with LGBTQ+ rights and sustainability issues, he was invited to deliver the 2023 Tomlinson Memorial Lecture at the Nottingham University in the UK. Stonewall Tak Mampir di Atlantis is his debut full-length poetry collection.
About the translator:
Edward Gunawan is a Bay Area-based writer and translator who authored 2 chapbooks, most recently the Start a Riot! Prize-winning The Way Back (Foglifter Press, 2022). An Indonesian-born Chinese queer immigrant, Edward received the Gabo Prize in Literary Translation and Multilingual Texts by the journal Lunch Ticket. They hold an MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University where they earned a Distinguished Graduate Achievement Award. Their translation work has appeared in Asymptote, MAYDAY, and West Branch. Other publications include: TriQuarterly, Aquifer, and The Town anthology (Nomadic Press, 2023). Visit addword.com for more.
