There Is Smoke in Our Forest

This poem emerges from my longing for the forests of my Dayak Benawan homeland, where I grew up surrounded by a living landscape that was deeply woven into our everyday lives, memories, culture, and spirituality. I write with a sense of loss as I remember a forest that was once green, breathing, and free from the smoke and haze of ecological destruction. Through these words, I return to that forest in memory and express my hope for a homeland where the trees can grow, the air can breathe, and the forest can once again live without disaster and smoke.