Bersih dan Kotor, Clean and Dirty

On the surface of it, the below poem might seem to be a parody of what is going on these days in the Malaysian political scenario, but if you know me, my thoughts are way deeper than that. Anyway, this is not a political blog.  Enjoy this poem and think about its spiritual meaning in Buddhist contexts! Like it?

Bersih dan kotor

Pada mulanya,

Bersih adalah bersih
Kotor adalah kotor.

Kemudiannya,
Bersih dianggap kotor oleh kotor
Kotor dianggap bersih oleh kotor.
Kotor dianggap kotor oleh bersih
Bersih dianggap bersih oleh bersih.

Oleh kerana salah sangka,
Bersih menjadi kotor,
Kotor menjadi bersih.

Setelah disucikan,
Kedua-duanya hilang,
Entah ke mana pergi.
Apakah bersih?
Apakah kotor?
Semuanya di minda.
Bersih dan kotor
Hanyalah halimunan
Konsep semata-mata.

          - 5.7.2011 9.30pm, edited on midnight 7.7.11

And the translation:

Clean and Dirty

At first,
Clean is clean
Dirty is dirty.

Later,
Clean is dirty to dirty
Dirty is always clean to dirty.
Dirty is always dirty to clean
Clean is clean to clean.

Due to confusion,
Clean is seen as dirty
Dirty is seen as clean.
 But once purified,
Both disappear
Where has it gone to?
What is clean?
What is dirty?
It’s all in the mind.
Clean and dirty
Mere illusory concepts.