I plucked the rose

When I plucked the rose,

the fragrance and the thorns came with the blossom.

I was in love with the fragrance and the thorns:

a moment indulging in sniffing

a moment in pain being pricked

infatuated and maddened

with earthly pleasure.

Irwan Abu Bakar, Malaysia

Translated by the author and Stanley Barkan

Kuala Lumpur, 12.02.2001.