On my arm, I write

my name, and my address, and --


also on my thigh.


Op mijn arm schrijf ikIch schreibe meinen
mijn naam, en ook mijn adres --Namen auf meinen Arm, auch --

en ook op mijn dij.auf meinen Schenkel.

Poem H6345
Amsterdam, 2026-06-28
A Long Way from Verona (Jane Gardam) - 1971
Children's book, (part 1: The Maniac) chapter 1 (page 7) - North East England, 1937 CE, Jessica Vye, 9 years old
Collection: Skin-contact
Tribute to: Gardam, Jane 
 

Her haircut is like

the leafage of a carrot --


that has been cropped short.


Haar kapsel lijkt opDie Frisur ähnelt
bladgroen van een wortel, als --dem Blätter einer Möhre,

dat is bijgeknipt.kurz abgeschnitten.

Poem H6067
Amsterdam, 2026-01-26
My struggle 2. A Man in Love (Karl Ove Knausgård) - 2009
Autobiographical novel "Min Kamp. Andre bok", part 3 - Autumn 2003, Stockholm
Collection: Leaving
Tribute to: Knausgård, Karl Ove 
 

My penis remains

a caterpillar, it won't --


be a butterfly.


Onze penissenAch, mein Penis bleibt
blijven rupsen, ze zullen --eine Raupe, er wird kein --

nooit vlinders worden.Schmetterling werden.

Poem S2994
Amsterdam, 2025-10-28
The cave (Alara Adilow) - 2021
Poem "De grot", published in Tirade #483 (March 2021, annual number 65), and in the collection "Mythen en stoplichten" ("Myths and traffic lights") - A boy who wants to be a girl
Collection: Loves Tricks Gains Pains in the years 2020-2029
Tribute to: Adilow, Alara 
 

Later you see in

the childhood photo that he --


is as you know him.


Op de jeugdfotoSpäter siehst du auf
zie je later dat hij is --dem Kinderfoto, er ist --

zoals je hem kent.so, wie du ihn kennst.

Poem H5652
Amsterdam, 2025-06-29
With a photo of Pieter, 13 years old (1975, Beek [Berg en Dal])

Pieter

Collection: The Yellow House Museum
Dedicated to: Lotte W 
 

She soaps up my legs,

shaves them smooth, and then sees me --


as a girl again.


Ze zeept mijn benenSie rasiert meine
in, scheert ze glad, en ziet mij --Beine glatt, und sieht mich dann --

weer als een meisje.wieder als Mädchen.

Poem S2736
Amsterdam, 2025-06-24
She inspects my legs and plants me in the bathtub (Ellen Deckwitz) - 2012
Poem "Ze inspecteert mijn benen en plant me in bad", for Eva Meyer, collection "Hoi feest" ("Hi party")
Collection: Death on Cast
Tribute to: Deckwitz, Ellen 
 

I'm like a patched doll,

a scar all over me and --


without a navel.


Opgelapte pop,Geflickte Puppe,
met mijn lange litteken --mit meiner langen Narbe --

en zonder navel.und ohne Nabel.

Poem H5018
Amsterdam, 2024-10-27
I kiss your hands a thousand times - Faxing to Ger #6 (Nicolien Mizee) - 2024
Diary novel "Ik kus uw handen duizendmaal - Faxen aan Ger #6", January 12th, 2001
Collection: In the light
Tribute to: Mizee, Nicolien 
 

Don't photograph me,

why should anyone see who --


I don't want to be?


Neem geen foto's meerMach keine Fotos,
van mij, niemand hoeft te zien --denn niemand muss sehen, wer --

wie ik niet wil zijn.ich nicht sein möchte.

Poem S2413
Amsterdam, 2024-10-13
Collection: In the light
Dedicated to: Maria Godschalk 
 

My big brother is

a regular straight guy, well --


nothing you can do.


Mijn grote broer isMein großer Bruder
een gewone hetero --ist ein Hetero-Typ, da --

tsja, niets aan te doen.kann man nichts machen.

Poem H4358
Amsterdam, 2023-12-11
The event (Peter Terrin) - 2022
Novel "De gebeurtenis", chapter Frederik (1)
Collection: Specialities
Tribute to: Terrin, Peter 
 

My mother exclaimed:

It's a boy, I didn't know that --


until much later.


Mama riep ontroerd:Mama rief berührt:
Het is een jongen, ikzelf --Es ist ein Junge, ich selbst --

wist dat later pas.wusste das noch nicht.

Poem H4082
Amsterdam, 2023-08-27
The spectacles case (Freek de Jonge) - 1990
Book "De brillenkoker"
Collection: Home sea
Tribute to: De Jonge, Freek 
 

Who am I? These hands,

feet and teeth, but no longer --


is there a middle.


Wie ben ik? DezeWer bin ich? Diese
voeten, handen en tanden --Füße, Hände und Zähne --

en geen midden meer.und keine Mitte.

Poem S1810
Amsterdam, 2023-06-28
House (Johanna Pas) - 2023
Terminal cancer / Gender identity
Poem "Huis" (collection "WAS of hoe ik mijn huid verloor")

Collection: Over
Tribute to: Pas, Johanna 
 

Zywa Dear bodyhome [3]

The long way back
to my skin's old threshold
limits, replacing the alarm
with a notification
without crisis consultation

and more
than the sensation
of smells and tastes
and more
than the satisfaction
of strength and fatigue

and more
than laughing muscles to feel
there is contact
in between thinking
Placing a lot at a distance
to have space close by

to be balanced
and to love myself
to accept touches
uninhibited, not creeping
like the scent of wisteria

Poem 5251
Amsterdam, 2023-06-27
Collection: Bruises
Dedicated to: Maria Godschalk 
 

Tall- and slim-doctors,

treat you just like an object --


Are you still human?


Lang- en dundoktersGroß- und Dünn-Ärzte
behandelen je als ding --behandeln dich wie ein Ding --

Ben je nog een mens?Bist du noch ein Mensch?

Poem S1710
Amsterdam, 2023-03-15
Fury (Salman Rushdie) - 2001
Novel, § 14
Collection: Sludge
Tribute to: Rushdie, Salman 
 

From now on, dare to

be tough, firm and resistant --


more than a man's wish.


Voortaan hard durvenMich recht trauen, hart
te zijn, stellig en weerbaar --zu sein, fest und beständig --

niet een mannenwens.nicht ein Männerwunsch.

Poem S1678
Amsterdam, 2023-02-15
She (Maaike Neuville) - 2023
Collection: Whirligig Scribbler
Tribute to: Neuville, Maaike 
 

Some people blame me

for my normal, daily face:


You should have a rest!


Mensen verwijtenManch einer wirft mir
me mijn gewone gezicht:mein normales Gesicht vor:

Je moet rust nemen!Ruhe dich mal aus!

Poem S1656
Amsterdam, 2023-02-05
The Office - The A.P. Beerta Institute (Han Voskuil) - 1998
"You look bad"
Novel "Het Bureau - Het A.P. Beerta-Instituut"
Page 131, Maarten Koning and Klaas de Ruiter (1975)

Collection: Frustration
Tribute to: Voskuil, Han 
 

Zywa Photo of my covered flower

Will anything of me remain? Would I
like to hang in a museum, with name
and age or anonymously

as Woman With Blossoming Branches
better known as The Covered Flower?
A continued existence, as an iconic person?

The photo is still beautiful
You just had to take it
Yes, that's what I looked like then

And when you look at it
who or what am I
to you?

And when you look at me now
am I different, more fragrant
with over-ripeness?

Or do you not dare
to take a good look, are you
not ready to acquiesce yet?

Poem 4726
Amsterdam, 2022-10-11
Collection: I am
 

Zywa Anatomical Theatre

I undress voluntarily
The assistants lead me
to the middle

into the half-dark circle
of curious students who
search for the connection

between my bare legs
and the light swell
of my white shirt

I lower my eyes
and follow the instructions
of the professor

as if I see myself
in a film, turning around
in the circle

of light
of attention
of thin voices

Poem 4610
Amsterdam, 2022-08-15
Collection: Eyes lips chest and belly
 

Clothes in the colour

of my skin, I do not dare --


even on the beach.


Kleren in de kleurKleider in meiner
van mijn huid durf ik niet aan --Hautfarbe wage ich nicht --

zelfs niet op het strand.nicht einmal am Strand.

Poem S1373
Amsterdam, 2022-03-24
Collection: The drama
 

My uncle is huge,

look at that big face of him --


bigger than his head.


Ik kijk naar mijn oom,Ich sehe ihm an,
dat grote gezicht van hem --das große Gesicht von ihm --

groter dan zijn hoofd.größer als sein Kopf.

Poem H3164
Amsterdam, 2022-01-02
Beside Myself (Marianna Salzmann) - 2017
Novel "Außer sich", chapter 'Without time'
Collection: Tightrope walk
Tribute to: Salzmann, Marianna 
 

Once I was a boy,

then I became an angel --


and now, now: woman!


Ik was een jongen,Ich war ein Junge,
en toen werd ik een engel --dann wurde ich ein Engel --

en nu, en nu: vrouw!und jetzt, und jetzt: Frau!

Poem H3074
Amsterdam, 2021-10-19
The virtuoso (Margriet de Moor) - 1993
Castrato
Novel "De virtuoos"

Collection: Specialities
Tribute to: De Moor, Margriet 
 

This graffiti scratched

into my skin: living art --


my body, myself.


Graffiti, gekrastGraffiti, gekratzt
in mijn huid: levende kunst --in die Haut: lebendige --

mijn lichaam, ikzelf.Kunst, mein Körper, ich.

Poem S1121
Amsterdam, 2021-01-04
Tattoo
Collection: I am
 

You show me about

a thousand faces, but breasts --


I don't count that much.


Gezichten heb jijGesichter hast du
een stuk of duizend, borsten --etwa tausend, doch Brüste --

tel ik niet zoveel.zähle ich nur zwei.

Poem H2830
Amsterdam, 2020-11-15
A woman may have (Riekus Waskowsky) - 1976
Poem "Een vrouw mag dan" ("De Nieuwe Clercke", 1st year, no. 17, June 1976)
Collection: Loves Tricks Gains Pains in the years 1960-1979
Tribute to: Waskowsky, Riekus 
 

Other people are

good-looking, me too, sometimes --


In a small photo.


Anderen komenAndere sehen
goed voor de dag, ik soms ook --gut aus, und ich manchmal auch --

Op kleine foto's.Auf kleinen Fotos.

Poem S1005
Amsterdam, 2020-04-23
No success blues (Delphine Lecompte) - 2017
Poem "Geen succes blues" (collection "Western")
Collection: Appearances
Tribute to: Lecompte, Delphine 
 

The way you smell now

I have never thought of you --


Do I know myself?


Zoals jij nu ruikt,Wie du jetzt duftest,
dacht ik nog nooit over jou --hab ich nie an dich gedacht --

Ken ik mijzelf wel?Kenne ich mich selbst?

Poem H2585
Schiphol, 2019-10-15
Collection: Local traffic
 

Zywa My mask

The plaster pulls the skin
my colour, my moles
and careful make-up
from my face

Red
living flesh
looking eyes
expressive lips, my mouth
smiling at you

     And you scan my mask
     three-dimensionally, you hang
     a field of registration points
     on the red markings
     at my eyes, nose, and chin

     You trace back the dots
     to feelings, then you look
     at me, understandingly
     From the void
     of my eyes and mouth

     the black holes
     in the information
     I try to articulate
     what you can't see
     Still, they don't show anything

Poem 2102
Amsterdam, 2019-02-17
Face (Yannis Kyriakides) - 2018
Composition #138, for voice recorders, violin, piano, electronics, live face detection and processing, and video; performed by Electra, in the Organpark on February 17th, 2019
Facial casts of Nias islanders (1910)

Collection: ORG anp ark 
Composer: Kyriakides, Yannis 
 

I am beautiful,

for me, and for anyone --


who keeps it secret.


Ik wil graag mooi zijn,Ich bin gerne schön,
voor mezelf en wie dan ook --für mich und sonst jedermann --

die het geheim houdt.der es geheim hält.

Poem H2216
Scheveningen, 2018-06-21
Collection: Froend
 

Zywa Masking

Cleaners are haunting
my house, bossy
they do all the talking
take me off my hands

and tell stories
that I am ashamed of
I lie helplessly crying
in your lap, in the shadow

of my fear of losing myself
more and more to them
I couldn't live without them
but my sake is suffering

from the occupation
of my head by the stage
mask of my face
that the cleaners wear

Poem 1627
Amsterdam, 2017-11-22
Collection: On living on [1]
Dedicated to: Maria Godschalk 
 

Zywa Turbulence

I watch, take a grab
of the facts, rearrange the booty
to body's own and the world

constructions of fragments
of reality and myself, the truth
of my existence, my who I am:

turbulent clouds
in my sleep
and reckless pilots

of medicinal substances
that play with me
throwing me back and forth

through the hell
they mold out of my life
and I can only watch

Sometimes they also fly by day --
from my very own memory
I am thought by foreign substances

Poem 1492
Amsterdam, 2017-08-05
Collection: On living on [1]
Dedicated to: Maria Godschalk 
 

With a laugh he pulls

off his funny nose and it --


makes no difference.


Hij pakt zijn feestneusEr lacht und er reißt
beet en rukt hem lachend af --sich die Latex-Nase ab --

Het maakt geen verschil.Gar kein Unterschied.

Poem H1708
Amsterdam, 2017-06-24
On closer inspection (Han Voskuil) - 1963
Autobiographical novel "Bij nader inzien" - November 25th, 1948
Collection: Elude
Tribute to: Voskuil, Han 
 

Your body describes

who you are, sadly enough --


both my hands are blind.


Jouw lichaam beschrijftDein Körper beschreibt,
wie jij bent, jammer genoeg --wer du bist, uh, leider sind --

zijn mijn handen blind.meine Hände blind.

Poem S0477
Amsterdam, 2017-05-18
Mother (Ofran Badakhshani) - 2015
Poem "Moeder" (collection "de banneling")
Collection: Unseen
Tribute to: Badakhshani, Ofran 
 

Voice and acts bowels

blood and all those toes, that's it --


that is me, they say.


Stem en daden darmStimme und Taten
bloed en al die tenen, dat --Darm, Blut und alle Zehen --

ben ik, zeggen ze.das bin ich, sagt man.

Poem H1287
Amsterdam, 0000-00-00
I'm looking for me (Marjoleine de Vos) - 2003
Poem "Ik zoek mij" (collection "Kat van sneeuw")
Collection: Rasping ants
Tribute to: De Vos, Marjoleine 
 

Zywa
Keyword
Identity: physical
GermanDutch5-7-5
PencilPumiceRainLoves
CompressedBirdsIflessPhoto
TributesDedicationsComposersHome
Attention is like sunshineMention © Zywa when using texts,
drawings, designs, paintings and photos
Search word:  CTRL-F