International Journal of Indonesian Studies Volume 1, Issue 3 | Page 145

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN STUDIES
SPRING 2016
This is all escalating to a cacophony. The words on the page are not making sense, the
protagonists in the poem are not making any sense; emotions are raging.
‘Let us pulverize ourselves.’ (Ibid.)
The scene becomes like a tribal dance:
‘They rubbed their bodies against each other
Men against women.Men against men.
Women with women. Everyone rubbed.’

(Ibid.p.11)

Simultaneously, Rendra is using a metaphor full of irony, for the dance is also the
friction between people that this throbbing dance, the political opposition prevalent in his
country at that time, in which the people are engaged. The expression, ‘Everyone rubbed.’ is
a double entendre, referring to the rubbing of the dance and the rubbing of opposing views
against each other. This metaphor is extended to include the people ‘rubbing’ against the
core institutions of their country, including the religious institutions.
‘And some rubbed their bodies against the walls of the church.’

(Ibid.)

Rendra extends the religious metaphor by, again, using part quotes from the Bible by
paraphrasing The Ten Commandments:
‘thou must not steal.
Junior civil servants stop stealing carbon.
Serving-girls stop stealing fried chicken bones.’

(Ibid.)

Simultaneously, Rendra is mocking the biblical intent of statements carved in stone by
referring to such pedestrian examples.
His poetic wielding flame is then turned upon the Communists:
‘everything belongs to everyone.
Everything is for everyone.
We must be one. Us for us.
Cha-cha-cha, cha-cha-cha.’

(Ibid.)

At this point, the scene descends into chaos. The people ‘roared like animals’ (Ibid.
p.13) and acted as a mob. They began to steal whatever they could take from the church:
candelabra, curtains, carpets and ‘statues covered with jewels’ (Ibid.). This scene is
reminiscent of Matthew 21:12 in which Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those
who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money
changers and the seats of those who were selling. He said to them, "It is written, 'My House
shall be a house of prayer'; but you are making it a robbers’ den.’
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