Sergius Seeks Bacchus (translated by Tiffany Tsao)
Norman Erikson Pasaribu
Tilted Axis Press: 2019
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In poem after poem in Sergius Seeks Bacchus, Norman Erikson Pasaribu seeks not so much a code for living as the simple state of being normal. What is it like to be a part of the social fabric, to be accepted? What is it like not to be disowned, derided or rejected for being yourself? These questions hover in each line.
In “Erratum”, after being denounced as banci (a sissy) by his father, he ponders if at all possible
the Publisher would print an erratum
to restore the lost lines, wherein
he’d know he was everything and also nothing
was wrong with him, and he’d know
what lingered of first love
was that very first kiss, bestowed
back when his family sat cross-legged togetherTo read the rest of this article, and to access all Mekong Review content, please subscribe.More from Mekong Review
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- Tags: Indonesia, Issue 15, Norman Erikson Pasaribu, Poetry, Richard Oh
