[3] She first began to write as a college student and since 1966 has been a frequent contributor to Indonesia's leading cultural and literary journals.

[5] Her poetry has been described as difficult to understand, combining a "deliberately cultivated ambiguity" with an "often unexpected, purely associative kind of imagery".

[5] But it is possibly her effective use of irony to highlight the unfavorable position of women in a patriarchal society that sets Toeti's poetry apart from that of her peers.

The poem presents a three-dimensional picture of a woman who stands against the repressive, patriarchal society, but unfortunately is perceived as a legendary witch.

[2] Heraty is considered to belong to the first generation of Indonesian feminist thinkers and has written extensively on issues of importance to women.

[8] Heraty also offered her services to a non-government organization, Suara Ibu Peduli, that works for the empowerment of women.