Aku lihat wajah sugul dia
Yang sedang duduk di sofa empuk kegemaran arwah abah
Tengah merenung nasib tuanya
Terkenangkan sikap anak-anak yang endah tak endah terhadapnya
Terngiang-ngiang lagi suara tua itu berkata pada aku
' Tak kisah lah orang nak campak mak ke mana, Mak ikut aje '
Begitulah ayat yang keluar dari mulut si nenek tua itu sambil ketawa perlahan
Riak mukanya begitu sedih
Sayu dan redup wajah tua itu

The night takes its form
In stages of still blackness
and inky silence.

Ibu knits by the staircase
squinting in the candlelight
while reciting pantuns;
Abah trudges through the water
with a kerosene lamp
and a yellow umbrella
muttering to himself –

All is still on the water’s edge.
I look out the windows
torchlight in my hands:

Water is everywhere
Lawns and roads
In every house and every car
its murky reflection
placid, unmoving, brown;

The night brings with it
A cacophony of noises:
From the candlelight
A cricket calls to its mate
A bloodthirsty mosquito
buzz in my ear
the gentle patter of rain
on the roof