Submit your work, meet writers and drop the ads. Become a member
Jan 11 · 275
[ Patro, patrino ]
Zywa Jan 11
Patro, patrino.

Mother: the little father --


in Esperanto.
Novel "a word child" (1975, Iris Murdoch), chapter Thursday [2]

Collection "Unspoken"
Jan 10 · 101
[ A row of benches ]
Zywa Jan 10
A row of benches

bends along the garden paths --


for the elderly.
Autobiographical story "Verdwijnpunt" ("Vanishing point", 2020, Wytske Versteeg), chapter 4

Collection "Actively Passive"
Jan 10 · 129
[ Pressure in my chest ]
Zywa Jan 10
Pressure in my chest:

it's happened before, I know --


nothing to worry!
Novel "Omstandigheden" ("Circumstances", 2020, Koos van Zomeren), page 220

Collection "Actively Passive"
Zywa Jan 9
Next spring I'll go back

to see the blossoms, search them --


where I've never been.
Poem "Yoshinoyama" ("On Mount Yoshino" / "I'll forget the trail", 1190, Saigyo)

Collection "Love Mind and Death"
Jan 9 · 361
[ Masculinity ]
Zywa Jan 9
Masculinity,

of all men, is just nothing --


of value in love.
"Ghazal 843" / "Ode 843", "Born out of love" (13th century, Muhammad Jalal al-Dīn Balkhi Rumi)

Collection "Love Mind and Death"
Jan 8 · 144
[ Under dictators ]
Zywa Jan 8
Under dictators

it is unpredictable --


what the past will be.
Essay "Niemand hier kan het verleden voorspellen" ("Nobody here can predict the past", 2024, Garrie van Pinxteren), in the NRC of August 10th, 2024

Collection "Truder"
Zywa Jan 8
Scratches on his skin:

she attacked me like crazy --


the ****** declares.
Novel "Art & Lies", "A piece for three voices and a bawd" (1994, Jeanette Winterson), chapter Picasso #3 - Reversed evidence

Collection "Truder"
Zywa Jan 7
I'm a bend, bending

the road to the right and left --


simultaneously.
Novel "Een Fries huilt niet" ("A Frisian does not cry", 1980, Gerrit Krol), chapter 6.1

Collection "Appearances"
Zywa Jan 7
Here I cross the Rue

Bouzarés, not on the map --


only in my mind.
Novel "Een Fries huilt niet" ("A Frisian does not cry", 1980, Gerrit Krol), chapter 8.1

Collection "Appearances"
Jan 6 · 233
[ Other people are ]
Zywa Jan 6
Other people are

good-looking, me too, sometimes --


In a small photo.
Poem "Geen succes blues" ("No success blues", 2017, Delphine Lecompte)

Collection "Appearances"
Zywa Jan 6
Exhaust fumes don't stink

because now the streets are free --


of the horse droppings.
Poem "Vilvoorde" (2022, Tijs Nuyts)

Collection "Appearances"
Jan 5 · 207
[ Among each other ]
Zywa Jan 5
Among each other

no more fighting, just going --


with the flow, the flood.
Animated film "Flow" (2024, Gints Zilbalodis)

Collection "Summer birds"
Jan 5 · 206
[ Fish and waterfowl ]
Zywa Jan 5
Fish and waterfowl,

swaying algae in the shapes --


of statue remnants.
Animated film "Flow" (2024, Gints Zilbalodis)

Collection "From Sacred Scriptures - A Home"
Zywa Jan 4
I think my love wish

into the world: please bring me --


you into my arms!
Song "Into my arms" (1997, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds), album "The Boatman's Call"

Collection "Loves Tricks Gains Pains in the 80s and 90s"
Zywa Jan 4
He is dead, and she

writes me from his mobile phone:


You don't have to cry.
Story "App-arition" in the collection "Night side of the river" (2023, Jeanette Winterson)

Collection "Stall"
Jan 3 · 106
Popping and plucking
Zywa Jan 3
Seemingly out of nothing
small sounds of a beginning
are popping and plucking

in the pool of my thoughts

atoms of observation
in the infinite void
of my mind

my universe in the multiverse

intersecting image-
particles that connect
to coherent thoughts

I knead, mix and bend them

until they smile
or I let them burst
for a new beginning
Collection "New Ago"
Jan 3 · 199
[ In marriage you ]
Zywa Jan 3
In marriage you

get to know each other more --


than you intended.
Novel "Een sterke man" ("A strong man", 1994, Renate Dorrestein), part 4 (page 237)

Collection "Old sore"
Zywa Jan 2
The ancient duty
to take care of each other:
taxes came from it
so we had to learn to count

Great fun, we count
paving stones and marbles
the candles on the cake
and the money in our name

We understand the world
and classify everything properly
young and old, poor and rich
(stereotypes that grow with us)

until the numbers become too large
so many repetitions and memories
added up a rich life
that must be celebrated

Now no candles
but everyone is present
whether they want a piece of cake or not
and all children are there
Collection "New Ago"
Zywa Jan 2
The clock strikes twelve times,

twelve times I hand out grapes, and --


have some left over.
Nochevieja (New Year's Eve in Spain and Argentina)

Collection "New Ago"
Jan 1 · 87
Golden Constitution
Zywa Jan 1
ARTICLE 1
The state consists of a legislative, an executive and a judicial power. The judicial power organizes itself and functions independently of the legislative and executive powers.

ARTICLE 2
The people who are in this country have equal rights and are treated equally in equal cases. The state does not take into account personal aspects such as beliefs, preferences and physical characteristics.

ARTICLE 3
In the event of a violation or alleged violation of article 2, the state investigates the facts and acts in such a way that they are submitted to the judiciary for assessment.

ARTICLE 4
Unequal opportunities are eliminated as much as possible by the legislator, both in current cases and preventively by organising public order in accordance with article 2.
Regula Aurea (The Golden Rule), Trias politica

Mahabharata (850 BC): One should never do to another what one considers offensive to oneself. This is the essence of the rule of all righteousness (Dharma)

Collection "The drama"
Jan 1 · 170
[ Chaos every day ]
Zywa Jan 1
Chaos every day:

the weather, the people, and --


I keep sorting out.
Collection "The drama"
Dec 2024 · 157
[ Listlessly I push ]
Zywa Dec 2024
Listlessly I push

myself on the campsite fence --


back and forth again.
Novel "Verborgen gebreken" ("Crying shame", 1996, Renate Dorrestein), part 1, chapter 3

Collection "Old sore"
Dec 2024 · 140
[ It is simple: right ]
Zywa Dec 2024
It is simple: right

is the side of the hand with --


the thumb on the left.
Novella "Want dit is mijn lichaam" ("This is my Body", 1997, Renate Dorrestein), the translation of the Words of Institution: "Hoc est enim Corpus Meum", chapter December

Collection "Old sore"
Dec 2024 · 234
[ Eyes that are swimming ]
Zywa Dec 2024
Eyes that are swimming

behind very thick glasses:


fish under the ice.
Novella "Want dit is mijn lichaam" ("This is my Body", 1997, Renate Dorrestein), the translation of the Words of Institution: "Hoc est enim Corpus Meum", chapter April

Collection "Old sore"
Dec 2024 · 112
[ As if sweet Eve ate ]
Zywa Dec 2024
As if sweet Eve ate

the apple and handed over --


the core to Adam?
Men who act patheticly --- Novella "Want dit is mijn lichaam" ("This is my Body", 1997, Renate Dorrestein), the translation of the Words of Institution: "Hoc est enim Corpus Meum", chapter April

Collection "Old sore"
Dec 2024 · 64
Warm feet
Zywa Dec 2024
Peace, in a bed
in Amsterdam, kneeling
or with clenched fists

eternally awaited, preserved
in hearts and thoughts
about people who behave
differently than you wish
people who have to take care

of their well-being and can
only dream their visions
cannot realise these even
with combined efforts
The world is too big for that

Close by you can smell the wind
and go along with the seasons
Close by you can, within
the limits of your needs
safely open up to another
New Year's greetings
Dedicated to Ruud J

John Lennon and Yoko Ono's 'Bed-In for Peace' at the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam, March 24th-31st, 1969, during their honeymoon

Collection "Summer birds"
Zywa Dec 2024
They are free, the birds

upon the gown of the state --


free to fly around.
Statue of Baruch Spinoza (2008, Nicolas Dings), with the quote "Het doel van de staat is vrijheid" ("The purpose of the state is freedom") from Spinoza's "Tractatus theologico-politicus" / "Theologico-Political Treatise" (1670)

Collection "Summer birds"
Dec 2024 · 273
[ The beams of light are ]
Zywa Dec 2024
The beams of light are

extinguished by the dense rain --


and there's no hissing.
Novel "The Unicorn" (1963, Iris Murdoch), part 6, chapter 31

Collection "Unspoken"
Dec 2024 · 273
[ I lie wide awake ]
Zywa Dec 2024
I lie wide awake,

listening attentively --


to no sounds at all.
Novel "The Unicorn" (1963, Iris Murdoch), part 1, chapter 4

Collection "Unspoken"
Dec 2024 · 300
[ Do I want to know ]
Zywa Dec 2024
Do I want to know

your suffering to get some --


idea what mine is?
Novel "The Unicorn" (1963, Iris Murdoch), part 7, chapter 35

Collection "Unspoken"
Dec 2024 · 159
[ I keep weighing up ]
Zywa Dec 2024
I keep weighing up

what is good for me, do I --


want to know or not?
Philosophical study "Ignorance and Bliss - On Wanting Not to Know" (2024, Mark Lilla)

Collection "Actively Passive"
Dec 2024 · 147
[ Her glance has wounded ]
Zywa Dec 2024
Her glance has wounded

me deeply, it pierced my heart --


oh, arrow of love!
Air "Al vezzeggiar d'un volto" ("At the caress of a face"), from the opera "Farnace" ("Pharnaces II of Pontus", 1727, Antonio Lucchini, music Antonio Vivaldi, RV 711), 1st act, 9th scene - Selinda

Collection "Love Mind and Death"
Dec 2024 · 165
[ No one cries or yearns ]
Zywa Dec 2024
No one cries or yearns

anymore, about love: look --


under Folklore.
Story "voor liefde: klik op F" ("for love: click F", 1998, Renate Dorrestein)

Collection "Old sore"
Zywa Dec 2024
'You haven't changed at all!'

He laughs at his compliment --


that is a question.
Short story "Het was lekker, nu is het op" ("It was nice, now it's over", 2024,  Franca Treur), in the NRC of December 21st, 2024

Collection "Chance"
Dec 2024 · 256
[ Each and every love ]
Zywa Dec 2024
Each and every love

can run its course, as long as --


there is a channel.
Play "A Severed Head" (1964, Iris Murdoch and John B. Priestley), based on the novel "A Severed Head" (1961, Iris Murdoch), 3rd act, 3rd scene

Collection "Unspoken"
Dec 2024 · 176
[ Praying is feeding ]
Zywa Dec 2024
Praying is feeding

yourself with the energy --


that is everywhere.
Philosophical study "On 'God' and 'Good' " (1992, Iris Murdoch), published in: The Anatomy of Knowledge (1969), and collected in: "The Sovereignty of Good" (1970)

Collection "Unspoken"
Dec 2024 · 260
[ Our love is over ]
Zywa Dec 2024
Our love is over,

however, never forget --


that it has been real.
Play "A Severed Head" (1964, Iris Murdoch and John B. Priestley), based on the novel "A Severed Head" (1961, Iris Murdoch), 3rd act, 3rd scene

Collection "Unspoken"
Dec 2024 · 170
[ Every day I look ]
Zywa Dec 2024
Every day I look

at the landscape, so unreal --


if one doesn't go there.
Novel "The Unicorn" (1963, Iris Murdoch), part 5, chapter 27

Collection "Unspoken"
Dec 2024 · 105
[ When you share my pain ]
Zywa Dec 2024
When you share my pain

you don't know where it ends, you --


suffer limitless.
Novel "The Unicorn" (1963, Iris Murdoch), part 2, chapter 11

Collection "Unspoken"
Dec 2024 · 75
[ I am a tourist ]
Zywa Dec 2024
I am a tourist

where you still live, where I used --


to be family.
Collection "Local interest"
Zywa Dec 2024
In high-tech sweatshirts

the joggers are running trails --


of expensive scents.
Collection "Local interest"
Dec 2024 · 207
[ We sing and that's how ]
Zywa Dec 2024
We sing and that's how

we make a very good time --


out of the waiting.
Collection "Local interest"
Dec 2024 · 96
[ As if everything ]
Zywa Dec 2024
As if everything

revolves around me I see --


people flashing by.
Collection "Local traffic"
Dec 2024 · 153
[ Our cherry orchard ]
Zywa Dec 2024
Our cherry orchard

is full of glitter-garlands --


Do the birds party?
Collection "Local inconveniences"
Dec 2024 · 149
[ A flowering shrub ]
Zywa Dec 2024
A flowering shrub

at the monastery gate:


butterflies greet me.
Collection "web tissue"
Dec 2024 · 161
[ We're not together ]
Zywa Dec 2024
We're not together,

but write the more lovingly --


'You're so dear to me!'
Novel "The Green Knight" (1993, Iris Murdoch), chapter 4 Eros - Aleph calls Peter Mir 'the Green Knight'

Collection "Unspoken"
Dec 2024 · 220
[ It is still so new ]
Zywa Dec 2024
It is still so new,

I'm disconcerted, sitting --


here waiting for you.
Song "Turn me on" (1961, John Loudermilk), a.o. sung by Nina Simone (1967, album "Silk & Soul") and Norah Jones (2002, album "Come away with me")

Collection "Loves Tricks Gains Pains in 60s and 70s"
Dec 2024 · 71
[ He is here, at home ]
Zywa Dec 2024
He is here, at home,

wherever he is absent --


though still known by us.
On the death of Herman H (November 30th, 2017)

For Ineke J, and Mark, Christel, Ellen, Marianne H

Collection "Local tardiness"
Dec 2024 · 308
[ Winter evenings at ]
Zywa Dec 2024
Winter evenings at

home, a faint light from outside --


faint sounds blowing by.
Collection "Local tardiness"
Dec 2024 · 101
[ Well, what my age is ]
Zywa Dec 2024
Well, what my age is?

I have many and waver --


Which one shall I choose?
Novel "Jackson's Dilemma" (1995, Iris Murdoch), chapter Six

Collection "Unspoken"
Next page