A bird. I follow
it for two seconds, and then --
I see something else.
Een vogel. Ik volg	Ein Vogel. Ganz kurz
hem twee tellen lang, en dan --	folge ich ihm, und sehe --
zie ik iets anders.	dann was anderes.

Poem H0072
Amsterdam, 2011-12-17
Keywords: Attention: focus, Flying: bird, bird of prey 

The light is changing,
and with it, my face changes --
Do I look like me?
Het licht verandert,	Das Licht ändert sich,
mijn gezicht verandert mee --	und damit auch mein Gesicht --
Lijk ik op mezelf?	Gleiche ich mir selbst?

Poem H0837
Amsterdam, 2014-03-06
Keyword: Identity: appearance 

Heroes are bright stars,
but here on Earth their light is --
nevertheless weak.
Helden: heldere	Helden sind helle
sterren, maar hier op aarde --	Sterne, doch auf der Erde --
is hun licht heel zwak.	ist ihr Licht sehr schwach.

Poem H1109
Amsterdam, 2015-01-25
Keywords: Hero(ine), Child: education 

I'll never do that
again! Now, how can I teach --
that to my children?
Ik zal zoiets nooit	Ich mache das nicht
meer doen! Hoe leer ik dat nu --	mehr! Nun, wie bringe ich das --
aan mijn kinderen?	meinen Kindern bei?

Poem H1546
Vaison-la-Romaine, 2016-10-10
Keywords: Child: education, Parenthood 

Immaturity:
learning what is right, we do --
it throughout our lives.
Onvolwassenheid:	Unreife: lernen,
leren wat goed is, dat doen --	was gut ist, Menschen machen --
mensen levenslang.	das ihr Leben lang.

Poem H1571
Amsterdam, 2016-10-26
Keyword: Adultness (behaviour) 

That's the way it is
and sure, it may be all-right --
yet we do resist.
Het is zo en zo	Es ist so und so
zal het ook wel goed zijn, toch --	wird es schon gut sein, trotzdem --
verzetten we ons.	versetzen wir uns.

Poem H1879
Amsterdam, 2017-12-03
On the death of Herman H
Keywords: Sadness: mourning, Goodbye: gradual 
Dedicated to: Ineke J, Mark H, Christel H, Ellen H, Marianne H 

We withstand the wind,
our banners stand tall and proud --
in the storms and gusts.
We weerstaan de wind,	Wir trotzen dem Wind,
onze banieren staan fier --	unsere Fahnen aufrecht --
in storm en vlagen.	in den Windböen.

Poem H2217
Scheveningen, 2018-06-21
Keywords: Life: lust (take pains), Mankind 

The men are paling
in the full sun, already --
they are very thin.
In de volle zon	In voller Sonne
verbleken de drie mannen --	verblassen die drei Männer --
ze zijn al heel dun.	sie sind schon sehr dünn.

Poem H5306
Amsterdam, 2025-03-12
Three Walking Men (Alberto Giacometti) - 1947
Sculpture "Trois hommes qui marchent"
Keyword: Lifestream (go by) 
Tribute to: Giacometti, Alberto 

On the Seine, the
pagoda of man reaches --
high into the sky.
Aan de Seine reikt	An der Seine ragt
de pagode van de mens --	die Pagode der Menschen --
hoog de hemel in.	hoch in den Himmel.

Poem H5382
Amsterdam, 2025-04-17
A pagoda is originally a temple in honour of the Buddha
With a photo of Lotte and Michi W on the Eiffel Tower


Keywords: Mankind, Paris, Technics (progress) 
Dedicated to: Lotte W 

The glass wind-shields draw
over the sand of the dunes --
irregular lines.
Glazen windschermen	Die Windschutzscheiben
trekken over het duinzand --	zeichnen auf dem Dünensand --
grillige lijnen.	eckige Schatten.

Poem H5391
Amsterdam, 2025-04-21
With a photo of beach Pavilion 'Paal 28' (Pole 28) on Texel (at the Krimweg from De Cocksdorp), February 1st, 2012


Keywords: Beach, Texel, Wind 
Dedicated to: Lotte W 

Well-balanced stacking
what you do and do not do --
isn't that what life is?
Wat je doet en laat	Ausgewogen zu
evenwichtig op elkaar --	stapeln, was man tut und nicht --
stapelen: leven.	tut, das ist Leben.

Poem H5393
Amsterdam, 2025-04-21
With a photo of the three decorative towers of stacked stones at Gasthaus Bürgisweier Bad (June 5th, 2011, Madiswil)
They are not 'Steintürme' [Stone Towers] / 'Steinmännchen' ['Little Stone Men' / Cairns], which are pyramid-shaped piles of stones on the mountain roads, as signposts)


Keywords: Life: balance, Schweiz 
Dedicated to: Lotte W, Madelief dK 

After the blossom
festival, fluffy flakes snow --
the long streets under.
Na het bloesemfeest	Nach dem Blütenfest
sneeuwen de straten onder --	sind die Straßen beschneit mit --
met donzen vlokken.	flaumigen Flocken.

Poem H5480
Amsterdam, 2025-05-21
After Hanami matsuri ("Flower viewing", the cherry blossom festival)
Streets with bird cherries (prunus padus) in Amsterdam
Fluffing of the petals: 'Summer snow'
Keywords: Nature: trees, forest, Amsterdam, Snow 

So old-fashioned, that
wallpaper, that curtain, me --
in that room, back then.
Wat ouderwets, dat	Wie altmodisch, die
behang, dat gordijn, ikzelf --	Tapete, der Vorhang, ich --
in die kamer, toen.	in diesem Zimmer.

Poem H5496
Amsterdam, 2025-05-24
With a photo of Madelief taken during a video call (December 26th, 2012)


Keywords: Identity: change, Home: furnishing 
Dedicated to: Madelief dK 

In the oases
between the bicycle racks:
a city garden.
In de oases	In den Oasen
tussen de fietsrekbeugels --	zwischen den Fahrradständern --
is de stad een tuin.	wächst ein Stadtgarten.

Poem H5557
Amsterdam, 2025-06-01
With a photo of a bicycle rack (May 21st, 2014, Nicolaas Beetsplein, Amsterdam)


Keywords: City (plants, animals), AmsterdamF, City (stone & steel) 
Dedicated to: Lotte W, Madelief dK 

In soft yellow hues,
the desert colours the walls --
and the evening sky.
In zachtgele tinten	Sanfte Gelbtöne:
kleurt de woestijn de muren --	die Wüste färbt die Mauern --
en de avondlucht.	und das Abendlicht.

Poem H5882
Amsterdam, 2025-08-26
Turkey song / Universal language (Matthew Rankin) - 2024
Film "Avaz-e bughalamun" / "Une langue universelle"
Keyword: Evening 
Tribute to: Rankin, Matthew 

Decaying in the
desert sun, the skeletons --
of houses, as art.
In de woestijnzon	In der Kieswüste
vergaan de geraamtes --	verfallen die Skelette --
van huizen, als kunst.	der Häuser, als Kunst.

Poem H5930
Schin op Geul, 2025-09-04
Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum - 2004
Mojave Desert
Keywords: Decay, Museum 
Tribute to: Purifoy, Noah 

In family trees:
only a few meagre facts --
of an entire life.
In iemands stamboom	In einem Stammbaum:
staan: slechts wat schrale feiten --	nur mageren Fakten für --
van een heel leven.	ein ganzes Leben.

Poem H6277
Amsterdam, 2026-05-23
The perfection of oblivion is that it makes clear that the meaning of life lies in the experiences you have
Keywords: Family: relatives, Lifestream (go by) 

Carefreeness: being
free from care, or not caring --
for other people.
Zorgeloosheid: vrij	Unbesorgt: frei von
van zorgen, of niet zorgen --	Sorgen, oder nicht sorgen --
voor de anderen.	für die anderen.

Poem H6290
Amsterdam, 2026-05-25
Keyword: Care: brotherly love 

In the end, we all
are terminally, but that --
is not how you live.
Terminaal zijn we	Am Ende kommen
uiteindelijk allemaal --	wir alle am Ende, so --
maar zo leef je niet.	lebt man dennoch nicht.

Poem H6375
Amsterdam, 2026-08-05
Keywords: Lifestream (on the way), Time: now / present 

The gilded Buddha
has a gargantuan chest --
and a heart of stone.
Een enorme borst	Eine große Brust
heeft de vergulde boeddha --	hat der goldene Buddha --
en een hart van steen.	und ein Herz aus Stein.

Poem S0213
Amsterdam, 2014-05-29
Keywords: Appearances, Religion: holiness 

Just making up for
the wasted day, not sleeping --
and watching movies.
De verloren dag	Den vertanen Tag
's nachts goedmaken, niet slapen --	nachts einholen, nicht schlafen --
en naar films kijken.	mal Filme schauen.

Poem S0669
Amsterdam, 2018-01-25
Keyword: Order: chaos 

Bite-by-bite the rich
mountain is eating the men --
who eat the mountain.
Hapje voor hapje	Bissen für Bissen
eet de rijke berg mannen --	frisst der reiche Berg Männer --
die de berg eten.	die den Berg essen.

Poem S0686
Amsterdam, 2018-03-04
Mining has been unhealthy work since time immemorial
The Cerro Rico (Rich Mountain) near Potosi in Colombia contained silver
Keyword: Capitalism 

He's thin, capsizing
in the light, falling out of --
the light. No shadow.
Zijn dunne lichaam	Sein dünner Körper
kapseist in het licht, valt uit --	kentert im Licht und fällt aus --
het licht. Geen schaduw.	dem Licht. Kein Schatten.

Poem S2591
Amsterdam, 2025-03-12
Falling Man / Capsizing Man (Alberto Giacometti) - 1950
Sculpture "L'Homme qui chavire"
Keyword: Life: course (end) 
Tribute to: Giacometti, Alberto 

Curfew, everyone
must live in their own capsule --
away from the earth.
Spertijd, iedereen	Sperrzeit, jeder in
in een eigen capsule --	seiner eigenen Kapsel --
los van de aarde.	weg von der Erde.

Poem S2599
Amsterdam, 2025-03-15
Lockdown measures due to Covid-19, 5 years ago
Keywords: Distance / Detachment, Covid-19, Body: and mind 

In the space station
I am weightless, almost all --
I am is my brain.
In het ruimteschip	In der Raumstation
ben ik gewichtloos, bijna --	bin ich schwerelos, bin ich --
alleen nog mijn brein.	fast nur mein Gehirn.

Poem S2600
Amsterdam, 2025-03-15
Lockdown measures due to Covid-19, 5 years ago
Astronauts as prototypes of the virtual human
Keywords: Brain: reason, Covid-19, Body: and mind 

Ah, as if I no
longer exist, my mother --
doesn't recognise me.
Alsof ik niet meer	Ach, als ob ich nicht
besta, mijn lieve mama --	mehr existiere, Mami --
herkent me niet meer.	erkennt mich nicht mehr.

Poem S2719
Amsterdam, 2025-06-15
Three Colours: Blue (Krzysztof Kieslowski) - 1993
Film "Trois couleurs: Bleu" - Liberté (Liberty)
Keywords: Missing: absence, Dementia 
Tribute to: Kieslowski, Krzysztof 

Well-known writers are
entertainers, they always --
meet expectations.
Bekende schrijvers	Berühmte Schreiber
vermaken je, ze voldoen --	unterhalten, erfüllen --
aan verwachtingen.	die Erwartungen.

Poem S3029
Amsterdam, 2025-12-19
Keywords: Writing: for attention, Honour / Fame 

Party with fairies Election time: there they are in beautiful dresses, the fairies with their wands aiming at my dreams Sparkling stars a beautiful world is what they wish me I get it as a gift if I want, Say it my vote makes the difference but the jester laughs and dances around the shiny dresses He points to the wands they mostly point to each other the rest is advertising paper that wraps up the problems nicely so be careful with wishes they come true the way you think: half, and inconsistent with a bill for others or for later

Poem 2278
Amsterdam, 2019-06-18
Keywords: Elections, Politics 

Rules are just rules We adjust the rules, talking      (about home, series and work) with about fifty colleagues      (rules for other people of course) because there are never enough of them      (they are never good enough) we all know that      (people are slipping through) yes, there is plenty that is wrong because that's freedom      (everyone goes their own way) and enforcement is expensive      (no one will let himself be interrupted) people rather ask      (for new rules) that is the problem      (but what does it matter) rules are just rules

Poem 2344
Amsterdam, 2019-07-05
Keywords: Order: (re)organise, Ethics: practice 

Wean Di My friends live as neighbours a second away from me I can see if they are home in the Wean Di that encrusting tissue of shifting hope that drama of our lives as a game of skill: I am me and I is us, a world full of bridges between kindred spirits But the roads are falling apart Crossing physical borders we travel safely around in our filter of friendship each with our noses wherever the wind blows and with our chosen quiffs and feathers on the wings of We and I

Poem 973
Amsterdam, 2017-01-22
Keywords: Friendship: close relations, Communication (digital) 

Café The Years People disappear in the round off of their group shifted between deficit and surplus when the brim is reached and you still do exist, but all the same do not count - Nothing can be done about it For strangers, my life and experiences are interchangeable, yet non-exchangeable with anyone Only hypothetically do my wingbeats matter amidst all the butterflies amidst all the flowers in the gardens of the world and the vases here at the centre of my thoughts

Poem 1292
Amsterdam, 2017-04-22
"Butterfly effect" (enlarged reaction)
Geometric rounding paradox: the half of 13x5=65 squares is 32,5 (in the diagram 32 or 33 squares)


Keywords: Human: individuals, Mankind 

Shifting in time We stroke the rough bark of the two along the path here and there a branch battered by storms, a tendon torn the colon shortened, the toes stiffer and more crooked in the ground a lifetime stored in their body, every fiber knows it and retains it A few steps away a gripper dumps heaps of earth into the roadside pits where their neighbours have been cleared for young plantings it is not a graveyard here but the living world of an avenue to the past shifting in time once again

Poem 2683
Amsterdam, 2020-02-07
Simplicity-beauty
Wabi-sabi (Japan): Simplicity-beauty
• consider the wear and tear as something beautiful
• accept the transience
• show the scars of life
Keywords: Old age: process, Nature: trees, forest 
Dedicated to: Dory dK 

Quicksand What life was like back then in the twenty-first century will likely remain a mystery The sources are quicksand: unclear, contradictory, and psychologically inexplicable Most of it was lost due to budget cuts, thoughtlessly or because it seemed superfluous Some of it appears to have been destroyed on purpose, and what remains is ego tripping, propaganda, and entertainment The alarming reports from the beginning of the century are serious, but the facts of the time the decisions made and the actual actions are anyone's guess

Poem 5889
Amsterdam, 2026-02-14
The Secret Agent (Kleber Mendoça Filho) - 2025
Film "O Agente Secreto"
Keywords: Past: stories, Politics 
Tribute to: Mendoça Filho, Kleber 

Angel Down I pick up the angel and carry him down the mountain At home, I lay him down on a bed of ice At the table, I write everything down: his death cry in the snow the other angel who set him down against the mountainside and walked away Then I go back down the stairs to dissect his earthly manifestation of an eternal soul fallen down from heaven I slit the skin from the neck down I cut through the ribs, curious if there's a heart The cellar door squeaks on its hinges with every gust of wind and yet it's just an ordinary corpse

Poem 5895
Amsterdam, 2026-02-16
A Time for Everything (Karl Ove Knausgård) - 2004
Novel "En tid for alt", chapters 6 and 7
Keyword: Angel / Devil 

Piles of waste Unemployment and unreasonable demands: you can be unlucky leave school in a time without opportunities and start thinking about what it all means those missed careers those opportunities that you have to find a way to make a reality without getting disappointed because you had wanted to live a meaningful life, do good things for people and animals and not make a mess of it not burying the world under piles of waste

Poem 6073
Amsterdam, 2026-07-07
A free life (Mariët Meester) - 2025
Autobiographical story "Een vrij leven", chapter VIII - May 1983, Groningen
Keywords: Together: community, Waste 
Tribute to: Meester, Marriet 

The curtain At the travel agency, I bought some freedom with nice promises which it fulfils, without extra cost and the charms of the hostess on site reinforce my sense of relief, for a moment She helps me, advises me and will report on my questions and interests I am a file My contacts have been known since the booking was confirmed I realise that I may be a target as soon as I am back home

Poem 6099
Amsterdam, 2026-07-27
the Curtain (Kader Abdolah) - 2017
Autobiographical account "het Gordijn", chapters 15 and 16
Keywords: Power: compulsion, Iran, Power: violence 
Tribute to: Abdolah, Kader 

Sleeping peace Merlin enchanted the people with the breath of a dragon so that they forgot their struggle and lived together without awareness of suffered losses and sorrow even without hatred towards the other who had lived here from birth or had only recently come to settle here Finally it was possible, finally there was peace, thanks to oblivion Finally the giant seemed to be buried, that brute full of envy greed, and hatred Who would want to rake up the past now that it was quiet and the wounds were almost healed? Who would want to recall memories that would soon incite retaliation?

Poem 6102
Amsterdam, 2026-08-01
The Buried Giant (Kazuo Ishiguro) - 2015
Novel "The Buried Giant", chapter 15
The migration of Jutes, Angles, and Saxons to Britain in the 5th century CE
Keywords: Migration: economic, England 
Tribute to: Ishiguro, Kazuo 

Collection Blown sand			5-7-5
Pencil	Pumice	Rain	Loves
Compressed	Birds	Ifless	Photo
Tributes	Dedications	Composers	Home

Mention © Zywa when using texts, drawings, designs, paintings and photos Search word:  CTRL-F