“Don’t”: A Forgotten Wise Word

Yusuf Achmad

I am a teacher, still teaching the word “don’t,”
Disappointed, seeing it forgotten and lost.
“Don’t ask,” I said firmly,
“Don’t hope, don’t regret, don’t neglect,” yet left unfinished.

Those words linger, seemingly without meaning,
Different now than then, “don’t” of the past was unmatched in power.
A wise word forgotten, not just a phrase,
A strict teacher, neither cruel nor command without reason.

Strangely, “don’t” is now considered taboo,
Merely serving desires, greed cloaked in fleeting whims.
Desires leading to destruction, desires defeating “don’t,”
In an era that rejects “don’t,”
Aja adigang adigung adiluhung becomes a forgotten “don’t.”

Aja grusa-grusu, erasing the trail of “don’t,”
Aja rumangsa isa, the word “don’t” disappears into oblivion,
Defeated by unchecked human rights that tempt endlessly,
Oh “don’t,” so wise,
So meaningful, so cultured.

The richness of Javanese wisdom, why have you been neglected?
When will you rise, acknowledged and remembered?
“Don’t,” so valuable, filled with meaning and virtue,
Reclaim your dignity in hearts and minds, and be forgotten no more.

Surabaya, 4-11-2023