In The Name of Poetry

Sastri Bakry

 

Gift Bomb for Little Girl

 

My eyes behold the carnage,
Limbs scattered, head buried,
An arm here, a leg there,
Eyeballs defiant, bodies torn,
Blood congeals, rage boils,

If on the other side,
We can only curse,
words with words
Praying silently,
who will aid?
Medical teams powerless,
Have we ever imagined?
Israel drops bombs, 907 kg each,
Like a child at play, joyful,
The attack on al-Tabi’in school,
Unutterable, victims mount,
From dawn till dusk, al-Ahli Hospital,

Struggles to heal the wounds,
Do we still have hearts?
If our conscience is hidden,
The dawn attack, a red sign,
Martyrs bow in prayer.

Padang, Februari 2025

 

Silent Screams

 

In silent streets,
screams resound,
From wounded hearts, tormented souls,
Roaring without clarity,
Injustice reigns,
a shadow cast,
Falling on steel,
it begins with pride,
Overshadowing life, haunting each step,
Until when?

Behind patience, anger burns,
From the oppressed, the forgotten,
Injustice separates, divides, destroys,
Leaving deep wounds, gaping sorrow,

Yet hope remains, a spark in darkness,
From the brave, the resistant,
Those who speak out, who fight,

No longer vague in fear,
Justice and equality,
for all, without exception,
For the heart still burns,
for justice still shines.

Padang, Mei 2025

Sastri Bakry, 67 years, novelist, poet, Founder of Sumbar Talenta and Teras Talenta Reading House, Activist, now Chairman of SATUPENA West Sumatra and CEO IMLF. Former politician and former bureaucrat in the Ministry of Home Affairs. The novel Kekuatan Cinta (Power of Love) is a best-selling work with publisher Zikrul Hakim. The novel Sedikit di Atas Cinta ( Little Above Love ) became an inspirational book on the Kick Andy Metro TV program in 2016. Dozens of books have been produced, both individually and in anthologies. Awarded of the Srikandi Tun Fatimah Malaysia 2007 from Malaysian PM Tun Abdullah Badawi, Srikandi Numera Malaysia 2016, Anugrah Tokoh Budaya Nusantara 2023, Melaka Malaysia , Kathak Literary Awards Bangladesh, 2024, Diploma World Poetry Movement (WPM) Russia, 2024 , ISISAR Peace Award For Women in the field of Culture, Social Justice and Peace, 2025, several other awards from Indonesia and several countries in the field of arts and culture (Spain, Harare, Algeria, Singapore, Croatia , Turkey, Den Haag, Germany, India, etc.). Often invited to local, national and international literary events as a speaker in various fields of science, poetry reading, book review or singing. His works have been translated into various languages ​​such as English, Russian, Turkish, Arabic, Tamil , Bangla and Chinese. His poetry was also immortalized in the song which won first place at the National level entitled APWI Hymn, second place at the Sumatra Corruption Eradication Committee entitled Integrity Demo and several children’s songs which have been released on Sastri Bakry’s YouTube.
His book was discussed at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2016, Tamaddun Melayu University, in Melaka by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka with Sastrawan Melaka 2017. Launched in Thiruchirapaly, India 2018 at the ASEAN plus India Poets Forum, and Thinkers and Writers meet, Kolkata India 2023, and at College Antara Bangsa Innovation, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, 2024. e
Until now he continues to speak out about literacy, integrity and arts and culture.
Now lives in Padang.
For further information, please click on Google, IG, FB, Snack Video and YT Sastri Bakry.