in a world of champion, who would hug the looser?

in a world of champion, who would hug the looser?

“i’ll hug you until the sun rise.”

riuh rendah tepuk tangan beserta sorakan, kerap kali bersamaan dengan datangnya langkah perkasa sang juara.

tapi di pojok sana, sebuah kesunyian pekat menyambut pecundang dengan bahunya yang merosot.

seberapa hebat orang kita mampu berteriak hingga suara di kerongkongan habis, menyambut satu kemenangan.

tapi agaknya sulit sekali tangan kita juga terbuka lebar dengan hati lapang memeluk kepulangan sang pejuang.

in a room full of people partying over the champion, who would hug the looser?

we live in a culture obsessed with podiums. kita dibesarkan untuk memuja angka, piala, dan selembar sertifikat. kita diajarin cara memberi selamat pada pemenang, tapi lupa caranya mengusap punggung mereka yang gugur di garis tengah.

i stand at that same dark corner, too. menatap panggung yang berkilau dari jauh, sambil berbisik pelan pada ketakutan diri sendiri: was all of it really for nothing?

ini bukan hanya perkara pertandingan, perlombaan, nilai rapor, ipk dan sanak saudara. it’s all about how to honour the warriors who never reach the championship. it’s about how we also embrace them who fail. rub their backs and say “you’re doing great, you’re amazing.”

because to them, it’s always just the outcome. sebuah garis tegas yang dengan kejam memisahkan bangga dan kecewa.

padahal, hasil is just a small thing.

they never saw us in the quiet hours of the night. they didn’t see the panic, the messy sleep schedules, the silent tears swallowed in the dark, or that suffocating weight in our chests just trying to make our parents or our people proud.

we bled so quietly, just to feel enough.

namun, ketika hasil tak berpihak, seolah seluruh memar dan perjuangan itu menguap. berubah menjadi sunyi yang menghujat. as if our worth was only valid if we brought home a trophy. as if love was something we had to earn by winning.

so if the world only has space for the winners today, let me just sit next to you in the dark. no pep talks. no bright side to look at. no need to pretend we’re fine.

because I know how heavy it is to carry a heart full of effort that no one ever saw.

in a world that forgets how to be gentle to those who fell… let us just rest here for a while. until the night feels a little less cold.

selamat sore semuanya, selamat menikmati malam minggu. we’re not running from anyone. we are in the right pace and place.