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590 · Jun 2022
The barbarians have come
Zywa Jun 2022
The barbarians have come
and they keep coming
century after century

We are polite, we give
them high titles
They give us their laws

in a nice speech
with eloquent words
about civilisation in our wilderness

that we nota bene no longer
need to live like savages
no longer in the wilderness

The barbarians have come
and they keep coming
century after century obedient

to the right and the interests
that threaten them with the strong arm
the hard hand, and a ripped out tongue
#14 "Periménontas tous Barbárous" ("Waiting for the Barbarians" (1904, Konstantínos Kaváfis)

The Iroquois are the league of the five tribes (nations) Mohawk, Oneida, Onanondaga, Cayuga and Seneca; this league is called Kaianerekowa = Great Law of Peace

In the council of the league are speakers (sachem) those who bring the position of their group and try to convince the others to agree with it (the Aztecs named these speakers 'tlatoani', with Moctezuma as huey-tlatoami [supreme speaker]); it is honorable to be a speaker, but there is no power attached to it, so that the settlers wrongly treated the speakers as 'chief'

Collection "The drama"
590 · Jun 2024
[ In the beautiful ]
Zywa Jun 2024
In the beautiful

merging of lovers, love turns --


out to be self-love.
Novel "Victory City" [Vijayanagar >> Bisnaga] (2023, Salman Rushdie), part 3: Glory, chapter 15

Collection "Low gear"
589 · Mar 2022
[ I drink the passion ]
Zywa Mar 2022
I drink the passion

of his body, of his love --


always thirsty love.
Collection "The Big Secret"
589 · Aug 2021
[ The purgatory ]
Zywa Aug 2021
The purgatory:

suffering with a prospect --


of complete Goodness!
"Nuns and Soldiers" (1980, Iris Murdoch) --- Collection "Thinkles Lusionless"
589 · Nov 2022
[ In between the ships ]
Zywa Nov 2022
In between the ships

I'm swimming over to you:


your side becomes mine.
Collection "NightWatch"
589 · Apr 2021
But
Zywa Apr 2021
But
In the tearoom, we pretend
to be good friends – in turn
we bounceball our days

If only I could make contact
but with words, it doesn't work
Our hands are close together

We gaze outside
it can't be explained
although we understand

And that already comes too close
For CW #1

Collection "The migration"
589 · Feb 2023
[ Time is different ]
Zywa Feb 2023
Time is different:

not eternal, it follows --


itself by itself.
"Atlas Eclipticalis" ("Atlas of the apparent path of the sun", 1961-1962, John Cage), performed by Ensemble SPECTRA in the Organpark on January 15th, 2023

Collection "org anp ark" #264
588 · Jan 2023
[ They look at me, what ]
Zywa Jan 2023
They look at me, what

did I say?, I thought I heard --


someone else speaking.
Collection "Foghorn"
585 · Dec 2021
[ We wanted to say ]
Zywa Dec 2021
We wanted to say

so much, we told everything --


with our eyes only.
Collection "More"
585 · Jul 2022
[ I certainly would ]
Zywa Jul 2022
I certainly would

do anything for love, but --


I just don't do it.
"I'd do anything for love (but I won't do that)" (1993, Jim Steinman) - sung by Meat Loaf

Collection "Loves Tricks Gains Pains in the 80s and 90s"
585 · May 2021
[ This is our good life ]
Zywa May 2021
This is our good life:

a whole lot of food has been –


cast before the pigs.
“Cien años de soledad” (“One Hundred Years of Solitude”, 1967, Gabriel García Márquez)

Collection "After the festivities"
585 · Jul 5
[ We kiss at the sea ]
Zywa Jul 5
We kiss at the sea,

all our worries blow away --


It is spacious here!
Collection "Without reserve"
584 · Sep 2021
[ The leaves are fragile ]
Zywa Sep 2021
The leaves are fragile,

at the slightest they come off --


caution! breathe softly!
In response to "Stoner" (1965, John Williams)

Collection "On living on"
584 · Jul 25
[ Along the river ]
Zywa Jul 25
Along the river,

I am cycling and flowing --


Breathing together.
Collection "WoofWoof"
583 · Apr 2021
Space Oddity
Zywa Apr 2021
I take a bath in salt water
where gravity does not exist
On the shelf, there is a new set
of the same clothes laid out

There is no concert hall here
and no outside for walking
only a greenhouse
where I like to sniff scents

free of human traces
the skin creams and soap
with which we, counted acquaintances
distinguish ourselves

And when I take care
to *** silent and to ****
not sputtering
leave the light out

and have *** carefully slow
I am the only one on the toilet
in my bed and the bath
who spies on me
Covid-19 Lockdown

Song “Space Oddity” by David Bowie (1969, album “David Bowie”)

Collection “BloodTrunk"
583 · Aug 2023
[ On expectations ]
Zywa Aug 2023
On expectations,

the bar is set so high that --


I pass under it.
Column "Gewoon uitzitten" ("Just sit it out", 2023, Ellen Deckwitz)

Collection "Death on Cast"
583 · Jan 2023
[ Look at the hippo ]
Zywa Jan 2023
Look at the hippo,

then you'll cease to be amazed --


at human beings.
"Sgombero" ("Get away", 1933, Luigi Pirandello)

Collection "No wonder"
583 · Feb 2019
Wedged
Zywa Feb 2019
After the departure of the Romans
we were our own bosses again
at war with each other

The sergeants took over
first the peripheral areas
then the middle land

Only behind the mountains
the residents still resist
longing for a king of their own

as once
his sword shone
his sword shines

immovably stuck
in the eyes of the people
dreaming of a peaceful life

a passed-on promise, for once
but unfortunately
the sword has disappeared
Excalibur, Britain AD 410

Collection “Secrets & Believers”
582 · Jun 2022
[ We are in danger ]
Zywa Jun 2022
We are in danger,

yet we rather behave deaf --


Blasting lights. On. Off.
'108 Sound Rebellion' (Elisabeth Hubmann [Hall 1994], Giulio Tosti [Roma], Adrian Foster [Lethbridge 1982] and Michele del Prete [Venezia]), for organs and electronics
Parts 'Creation'/'Nature'/'Birds'/'Human'/'Machine'/ 'Disturbance'/'ALARM'/'Chaos'/'Aftermath'

Collection 'org anp ark' #220
582 · Dec 2021
Bow waves
Zywa Dec 2021
My world doesn't have to be bigger
than as far as my eyes reach
yet they see a new horizon
when I look around over there

.....Give me your hand, wait
.....a while with going and come
.....with me, together
.....we can be at home

I will always stand still
on street corners
looking where the sun is
where the clouds go

.....Take off your jacket, your fear
.....be happy here
.....take a bath
.....I'll give you a massage

Indefinite scents
blow over the beach
my feet push
bow waves in the sand
Man and woman

Collection "The migration"
582 · Aug 29
[ She radiates, young ]
Zywa Aug 29
She radiates, young

in the old landscape, I look --


and kneel before her.
Song "Conversion" (2024, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds), album "Wild God"

Collection "Loves Tricks Gains Pains in the 20s"
Zywa Sep 4
Keep love intact, and

pay attention to whether --


it is still breathing.
Poem "Groei" ("Growth", 1968, Judith Herzberg)

Collection "Loves Tricks Gains Pains in the 60s and 70s"
Zywa Jul 2022
They are old, they laugh

at us men: the childhood friends --


still flirting like girls.
"Gelijken" ("Equals", 2003, Mustafa Stitou)

Collection "Loves Tricks Gains Pains in the 0s and 10s"
581 · Mar 18
[ Waking up, lightly ]
Zywa Mar 18
Waking up, lightly

balancing between repose --


and my brand new day.
Composition "Fragile Balance" (2014, Jürg Frey), for ensemble and piano, performed on four saxophones by the Amstel Quartet in the Organpark on March 8th, 2025

Collection "org anp ARK" #99
580 · Sep 2023
[ Flat pillar of salt ]
Zywa Sep 2023
Flat pillar of salt,

my fixed image of mama --


Beloved photo.
A photo is an image fixed in salt compounds
"Ivoren wachters" ("Ivory guardians", 1951, Simon Vestdijk), chapter II and V

Collection "Inmost [2]"
579 · Jul 2023
[ To keep her and me ]
Zywa Jul 2023
To keep her and me

from being alone, I put --


an arm around her.
Novel "De laatste kans - De geschiedenis van een liefde" ("The last chance - The history of a love", 1960, Simon Vestdijk), chapter 1-1

Collection "Inmost [2]"
579 · Apr 2021
[ Between the words, I ]
Zywa Apr 2021
Between the words, I

write my anxiety: white –


that doesn't disappear.
“De geschiedenis van mijn seksualiteit” (“The story of my sexuality”, 2021, Sofia Lakmaker)

Collection "VacantVoid"
579 · Jun 2024
[ The highest ruler ]
Zywa Jun 2024
The highest ruler,

the self, is hungry, in need --


of beauty and love.
Novel "The Enchantress of Florence" (2008, Salman Rushdie), part 1, chapter 2

Collection "Low gear"
578 · Jul 2022
[ The walnut tree falls ]
Zywa Jul 2022
The walnut tree falls

slowly, horribly, it groans --


sadly in my ear.
"De boom N" ("Tree N", 1994, Peter Verhelst)

Collection "After the festivities"
578 · Jun 2021
[ Before the sunrise ]
Zywa Jun 2021
Before the sunrise:

the gloaming greenish notlight –


of the dark blue sky.
“O verde do céu azul antes do sol ir a nascer” (“The green of the blue sky before the sun is being born”, 1919, Alberto Caeiro [Fernando Pessoa] )

Collection "Appearances"
577 · Aug 14
Almost touchable
Zywa Aug 14
We wear face masks
while she is working
and I see myself
transform, changing colour

into a super being
blue as a goddess
the decay of my body
well camouflaged
seemingly charmed away

What do I show
in this skin?
Myself, almost
touchable?
To strange eyes
I could not be more intimate
Collection "Metamorphic body"
577 · May 2024
[ I am so in love ]
Zywa May 2024
I am so in love

that I must confess to her:


I don't write poems.
Story "Dichtertje" ("Little poet", 1918, Nescio), written in 1917, chapter 2

Collection "Rasping ants"
577 · Dec 2023
[ My work is simple ]
Zywa Dec 2023
My work is simple,

I too am averagely --


uninteresting.
Poem "Arm" ("Poor", 2022, Koenraad Goudeseune), written on his deathbed

Collection "Over"
576 · May 2022
[ With a gentle urge ]
Zywa May 2022
With a gentle urge

the drums of love are beating --


open all my doors.
"TGTT" ("Too Good to Title", 1968, Duke Ellington, album "Second Sacred Concert"), performed by Steven Kamperman (clarinet), Berry van Berkum (*****), Dion Nijland (double bass), Joost Buis (trombone) and Ruben Drent (trumpet) on May 14th, 2022 in the Organpark

Collection "org anp ark" #206
576 · Nov 2023
[ When I can't handle ]
Zywa Nov 2023
When I can't handle

it anymore, I am saved --


by hours of boredom.
Novel "Munya" (name: "Wish/Desire/ What is longed for permanently even though it is very difficult to get", 2008, Abdelkader Benali), chapter Morocco

Collection "VacantVoid"
576 · Sep 2022
[ Memories, I had ]
Zywa Sep 2022
Memories, I had

few, in my youth, yet I thought --


they were worth nothing.
"Grand Hotel Europa" (2018, Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer)

Collection "Palace of the Night"
575 · Aug 2024
[ Relaxed by the gin ]
Zywa Aug 2024
Relaxed by the gin

I get up and see the yard --


rotating round me.
Novel "The Sandcastle" (1957, Iris Murdoch), chapter Twelve

Collection "Unspoken"
Zywa May 2022
There are lots of stones

in my own cemetery --


heavy on my thoughts.
The weight of your own past

Collection "BloodTrunk"
572 · Jun 2024
[ A sorcerer doesn't ]
Zywa Jun 2024
A sorcerer doesn't

need a wand or other stuff --


Words are sufficient.
Novel "The Enchantress of Florence" (2008, Salman Rushdie), part 1, chapter 5

Collection "Low gear"
572 · Dec 2022
[ The farmer has cows ]
Zywa Dec 2022
The farmer has cows,

some poultry with a watchdog --


and holiday guests.
Collection "NightWatch"
572 · Apr 2023
[ I can be a saint ]
Zywa Apr 2023
I can be a saint

in helping people, I should --


try that out to know.
Novel "The time of the angels" (1966, Iris Murdoch), § 8

Collection "Unspoken"
572 · May 2023
Cross over
Zywa May 2023
It is empty on the Grand Square
The guide tells about the past
His words blow over

Birds above the roofs, white clouds
it takes a long time
until we go for a drink

In the café we cross over
in each other's language
to the streets where we live

and everything is the same
in a different way

We sing along to the songs
of our teenage years and toast
the world that is becoming ours

I stall for time, don't want to let go
of the guide, I'd like take him with me
and show him around my own city

let him see with my eyes
after seeing what he saw
not knowing what he was thinking
Collection "Migration"

Song "Nathalie" (1964, Gilbert Bécaud)
571 · Feb 2022
[ His attention, caught ]
Zywa Feb 2022
His attention, caught,

and dropped from excitement, then --


she picked up the shards.
"Verbroken" ("Broken", 2008, Hagar Peeters)

Collection "VacantVoid"
571 · Jul 2024
[ There is no wisdom ]
Zywa Jul 2024
There is no wisdom

in the East, no, everywhere --


people are foolish.
Novel "The Enchantress of Florence" (2008, Salman Rushdie), part 3, chapter 18

Collection "Low gear"
571 · Apr 2022
[ In your sleep I reach ]
Zywa Apr 2022
In your sleep I reach

for you and I nestle you --


entirely in me.
For Dory dK

Collection "Eyes lips chest and belly"
570 · Sep 2022
[ I'm melancholy ]
Zywa Sep 2022
I'm melancholy,

though not for what has been, but --


for what should have been.
"Weggaan. En terugkomen" ("Leaving. And coming back", 1979, Herman de Coninck)

Collection "Shortages"
Zywa Aug 2024
For the guests there are

flowers, and hidden in them:


fleas waiting to strike.
Play "[Acastos -] Above the gods", a Platonic dialogue (1986, Iris Murdoch)

Collection "Unspoken"
569 · Feb 2022
The bull
Zywa Feb 2022
His black eye looks back
to me, we are alone
in the meadow, in the roadside

I hold my breath
everything becomes lighter
around the black

Meadow and road the world
empty and we eye
and beating heart

Heavy and firmly
my legs all four
in the ground

Strength crackles
around the electric barbed wire
in my insides
For Maria Godschalk #158

Collection "Lilith's Powers" #67
569 · Mar 2023
[ I know what she needs ]
Zywa Mar 2023
I know what she needs,

she's inconsolable, so --


I don't console her.
Dead son to his mother
"De zoon" - I ("The son" - I, 2002, Hester Knibbe)

Collection "Stream"
568 · Sep 2023
[ The poets return ]
Zywa Sep 2023
The poets return

through the former slave gate, with --


liberated words.
"La Caravane de la Poésie" in 1999 - Poet Thierno Seydou Sall speaks in Kaolack about the slave gate of Gorëe (island off Dakar, Sénégal), the "door of no return" ("porte sans retour")

Tale "A Change of tongue" (2003, Antjie Krog)

Collection "Over"
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