Cautiously I take

my very first steps, my eyes --


feeling out the light.

Do I see the tree

or do I just remember --


the image of it?

Such a big party,

it rings over and above --


the crowds and the roofs!

Like raindrops tapping

on a roof, the pedals tick --


against the music.

He's a beauty, like

a flower, I pick and stick --


him between my teeth.

Her dress jumps arches

in the dining hall, she whirls --


untouchably light.

The bat-faced yellow

queen of ****** pleasure:


her razor-sharp mouth.

Only when you're old

do you know: it doesn't matter --


if you're postponing.

Old sore praises it-

self for its best intentions --


Own glory comes first.

Rustling lanes, winding roads
the rippling on the bank
of the path along the river

wherever the land is not buried
under city, I walk my days
in the smell of rotting

Mushrooms, spider webs
birds in the undergrowth
and dearest to me are the wild
flowers, thistles, chicory
pink anemones and poppies

I admire the gaunt, the sallow
the beauty under
the beauty of
the scars, the life
they pass on

You flow in my blood,

alive in me are your spores --


Wild Wonder flower.

The deep-sea coral

is a castle full of crowns:


shoaling princess fish.

Far too many lives

are a roller coaster ride:


beaten black and blue.

'You come with me?' Woof

'You like something to eat?' Woof


'Come on my lap!' Woof

In the hotel safe

are the counterfeit diamonds --


of the fake countess.

I would like to feel

everything I feel and not --


be drowning in it.

Mama's day passes

uncomplicated, she just --


follows dad's schedule.

Go push your way through

the forest, to the fortress --


and set yourself free!

The parents try to

imitate their child: its hopes --


and its energy.

I'm not moving straight,

I am a piece of something --


bigger that rotates.

Adulthood is the

hard skin against feelings of --


gentle compassion.

I wrap myself up

in my poem, to show me --


show my open wounds.

Tower in the bed

of sand, the unlit beacon --


of a happy time.

We do this, do that,

as it suits us, everything --


takes more time that way.

I walk all day long,

thinking all the time, thinking --


of you, behind me.

Then it is autumn,

wind, wet twilight hours, the shops --


illuminated.

Two short taps wake me,

a dry sound. Is it knocking?


Is it an omen?

The children go play,

grandpa is drowsy, today --


No stories today.

Where do I end up?

Didn't I steer well or am I --


being pushed away?

Happiness just comes

and goes, again and again --


it's new, it is: now.

Clothes being blown up

from the grass by the river --


What could have happened?

A full moon tonight,

light pink like a peach, perfect --


and inedible.

My house is getting

overgrown, and so am I --


by my memories.

Cradle great sadness

in music, there are no words --


that can carry it.

He looks tired, a bit

tarnished already, but sweet --


Right to be coddled.

I take the highest

stone, the very mountain top --


and I throw it down.

I'm not alone, you

always keep me company --


I'm thinking of you.

I wish to begin

the day without reserve, like --


the skylark, cheerful.

The cows float about,

bobbing in the green, ******* --


they hoist their tail sails.

The hounds sniff the ground,

fallen leaves and moss, they are --


no longer hunting.

I take my mother

on her last journey and God --


himself welcomes her.

Wonderful, no sound,

the carpet is thick, I walk --


back and forth again.

Darling, you can die

peacefully, you'll stay with me --


cradled in my heart.

Heerlijk, geen geluid,

het tapijt is dik, ik loop --


nog eens heen en weer.

It would be so nice,

in winter and in summer:


coming home to you.

The tear in her eye

gives me enough certainty:


she does long for me!

I was trying to

pull my hand loose, but my will --


then got stuck somewhere.

With the wedding ring

he promises his body --


to her, to serve her.

I finger my gift

for her, it's almost as if --


she gave it to me.

Something is coming

and it's making me restless --


It's a spring feeling.