Badminton Night in the Alley

Malam itu, gang depan rumah ramai.

That night, the alley in front of my house was busy.

Tetangga pasang tali sebagai net, dan lampu warung menerangi jalan.

Neighbors put up a rope as a net, and the shop's lights lit the street.

Kami main bulu tangkis gantian.

We played badminton by taking turns.

Aku biasanya cuma menonton, tapi kali ini mau coba.

I usually just watch, but this time I wanted to try.

Pegang raket masih kaku, dan kok sering jatuh di depanku.

My grip on the racket was still stiff, and the shuttle often fell in front of me.

Pak RT senyum dan bilang, "Jangan buru-buru, ayun pelan aja."

The neighborhood head smiled and said, "Don't rush, just swing gently."

Aku tarik napas, lalu pukul kok dengan tenang.

I took a breath, then hit the shuttle calmly.

Pelan-pelan, pukulanku mulai masuk terus.

Slowly, my shots started to go in again and again.

Tiba-tiba lawan smash kencang; reflekku jalan, dan kok berhasil aku angkat.

Suddenly the opponent smashed hard; my reflex kicked in, and I managed to lift the shuttle.

Orang-orang tepuk tangan kecil, aku ikut tertawa.

People clapped a little, and I laughed too.

Aku tidak jadi juara, tapi badan jadi hangat, hati senang.

I didn't become a champion, but my body felt warm and my heart was happy.

Setelah selesai, kami duduk di warung dan minum teh manis hangat.

After we finished, we sat at the food stall and drank warm sweet tea.