Introducing the new line of “Curatorial Project” edition, a special edition of  illustration and design from our featured artists. Curated and art directed by Melissa Sunjaya, “Mimosa Love” is Tikyta Syarani’s second artwork for Tulisan. The inspiration derived from the classic 1967 movie “The Graduate”, starring Dustin Hoffman. All colors selected in this edition are inspired by the outfits of Mrs. Robinson, the sexy antagonist in the film. Mimosa shares a story of a forbidden love – a bittersweet feeling that is too hurtful to keep as memory yet too sweet to be forgotten. The story is written as a letter by our creative writer Rassi Narika.

Several new products are introduced in this collection. Mimosa Love edition is available at our Darmawangsa Store and online shop this January.

MIMOSA LOVE, by Rassi Narika

Warung kopi, Nov 29, 2011

Dear my Mimosa,

This was my fifth cup of coffee. The black coffee of Aceh beans, just like the one we drank on that rainy day. You always added the sweet-condensed milk to match Pantone 17-1045 – the color of Apple Cinnamon. I argued, “That would just ruin the character of the coffee. It was tender already just as it should be. The bitterness carried the taste of the earth it grew from.” You squinted and sighed, “You always bicker with me.” I answered with no sound coming out of my mouth, “That’s only because I want to hear your sulking voice, so that I could throw you with my embrace.”

This simple coffee shop had gotten too crowded now. I used to be able to sit at the corner for the whole day and finish a book. It had never been the same without you sitting next to me to spend the afternoons in silence. Some days, there were only us and the existence that we filled. Yet we faced the bitter truth: here, our love would be continuously shoveled due to our homogeneity. They considered it unethical, but I always thought love was anything but regular. Thus, nothing should come between our love. “We need to yield so that the love we make do not give birth to rage,” you once said and I fully disagreed. I wanted us to ignore the world but you persisted to let them won. I replied, “We should have been born as lovebirds. These birds carrying the name of love, do not compromise.” 

My thought stopped as my glance dropped at the Mimosa leaves on the ground, the Shy Princess. The pouring rain brought back the smell of the soil the last time we met. I remembered your words as the Mimosa leaves closed at the touch of the raindrops, “Wait and look, their leaves reopen to welcome the cruelty of life and their flowers continue to bloom despite being stomped by humans. I wish you could have had the same resilience.” – xRs

……………(in Indonesian)………………

MIMOSA LOVE, oleh Rassi Narika

Warung kopi, 29 November 2011

Mimosaku,

Ini kopi hitamku yang kelima. Kopi hitam dari Aceh, sama seperti yang kita minum bersama di saat hujan hari itu. Dulu kau selalu menambahkan susu kental manis hingga warnanya sama seperti warna Pantone nomor 17-1045, warna Apel Kayu Manis. Aku tidak setuju, menurutku, “Itu hanya akan merusak karakter sang kopi. Dia sudah lembut sebagaimana adanya. Rasa pahit itu dibawa dari bumi yang mengasuhnya.” Kau memicingkan mata dan mendesah, “Kau tidak pernah setuju denganku,” katamu. Aku berbisik tanpa suara, “Itu karena aku ingin mendengar rajukanmu agar aku bisa merayu.”

 Warung kopi ini sekarang ramai sekali. Aku tidak begitu menyukainya. Dulu, aku bisa duduk seharian di sudut sana untuk menyelesaikan sebuah buku. Rasanya berbeda sejak kau tidak pernah lagi duduk bersamaku untuk menghabiskan sore dalam keheningan. Saat itu yang ada hanya kita dan keberadaan yang kita isi. Namun, kita harus menghadapi kebenaran yang pahit: di sini, cinta kita hanya akan terus tersingkir karena kita sama. Kata orang, hubungan kita tidak seharusnya. Padahal, sejak kapan cinta itu harus mengikuti apa yang biasa? Maka seharusnya tidak ada yang bisa melarang kita bercinta. “Kita harus mengalah supaya cinta ini tidak justru melahirkan amarah,” katamu dan aku menolak pendapatmu itu. Aku ingin kita acuhkan saja dunia ini tetapi kau berkeras agar kita mengalah. Aku bilang, “Seharusnya kita terlahir sebagai lovebirds, sang burung yang membawa nama cinta dan tak pernah mengkompromikannya.”

Pikiranku berhenti saat mataku tertumpu pada kumpulan Mimosa, si daun Putri Malu. Hujan deras itu Daun mereka menutup saat tetes air hujan mengenai tubuhnya, seperti di kencan terakhir kita. Katamu, “Tunggu sebentar dan lihatlah, daunnya akan kembali menyambut kejamnya hidup  dan bunga mereka akan tetap mekar walaupun terus diinjak. Andai saja kita punya kekuatan yang sama.”- xRs

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