Difficult childhood!

It does not matter, of course --


you can go to her.


Een moeilijke jeugd!Schwierige Kindheit!
Maar dat geeft niet, natuurlijk --Das macht nichts, natürlich kannst --

mag je naar haar toe.du zu ihr gehen.

Poem S3238
Amsterdam, 2026-08-23
Then Mother came with a knife (Nicolien Mizee) - 2003
Novel "Toen kwam moeder met een mes", chapter 2
Looking down on someone

Collection: In the light
Tribute to: Mizee, Nicolien 
 

She places her gloves

on the side table, as an --


admission ticket.


Haar handschoenen legtSie legen ihre
ze op de salontafel --Handschuhe auf den Couchtisch --

Als toegangsbewijs.Als Eintrittskarten.

Poem S3234
Amsterdam, 2026-08-09
The Flight of the Maidens (Jane Gardam) - 2000
Novel, chapter 3
Collection: Truder
Tribute to: Gardam, Jane 
 

First to become a

hero, then an icon, and --


then perhaps a god.


Eerst een held worden,Erst zum Helden, dann
dan een icoon worden, en --zur Ikone werden, und --

dan misschien een god.dann vielleicht zum Gott.

Poem S3215
Amsterdam, 2026-07-24
The Latter Days of Pilate (Simon Vestdijk) - 1938
Novel "De nadagen van Pilatus", chapter 7
Explanation by the Stoic philosopher Seneca (4 BCE – 65 CE): heros >> demon >> god(ess)

Collection: Inmost [2]
Tribute to: Vestdijk, Simon 
 

Take good care when you

get a pat on the back, do --


fold your wings tightly!


Pas goed op jezelf;Ein Schulterklopfen?
vouw bij een schouderklopje --Dann falte deine Flügel --

je vleugels goed op!ganz fest zusammen!

Poem H6360
Amsterdam, 2026-07-16
Daughter (Ingmar Heytze) - 2015
Poem "Dochter" (collection "De man die ophield te bestaan")
Fatherly advice (If you have shaken a thief's hand, you should count your fingers)

Collection: Skin-contact
Tribute to: Heytze, Ingmar 
 

He says: Oh, isn't she

only beautiful, does she --


also read those books?


Hij zegt: O, is zeEr sagt: Oh, ist sie
niet alleen mooi, leest ze ook --nicht nur schön, sondern liest sie --

moeilijke boeken?auch diese Bücher?

Poem S3192
Amsterdam, 2026-07-02
That dress of Marilyn's was purple, by the way (Joyce Roodnat) - 2026
Column "Dat jurkje van Marilyn was trouwens paars" ("That dress of Marilyn's was purple, by the way", 2026, Joyce Roodnat), in the NRC of July 2nd, 2026
About sexist men who speak of 'dumb blondes' (like Marilyn Monroe)

Collection: Truder
Tribute to: Roodnat, Joyce 
 

He who pursues grand

plans does not laugh, he creates --


his own tragedy.


Wie grote plannenWer große Pläne
nastreeft lacht niet, hij schept zijn --verfolgt, lacht nicht, er schafft sich --

eigen tragedie.eine Tragödie.

Poem S3124
Amsterdam, 2026-04-18
My struggle 6. The End (Karl Ove Knausgård) - 2011
Autobiographical novel "Min Kamp. Sjette bok" (translated 2018), part 8 - June 2011, Malmö
Collection: Writing
Tribute to: Knausgård, Karl Ove 
 

Zywa Justice

Evil punishes itself, but
unfortunately not always
And even then, the mischief

is done, it is
the classic tragedy
of criminal hubris

to think that one can
cut out the freedom of others
with weapons and intimidation

and become great from it
oneself as a defender
of self-interest

In the end, it always fails
and everyone is worse off
because of those in power

who are blind and deaf
to the havoc they wreak
by their own right

Poem 5973
Amsterdam, 2026-03-30
Collection: Half The Work
 

Why are they walking

around in the faith that God --


will save only them?


Waarom lopen zeWarum laufen sie
rond in het geloof dat God --herum im Glauben, dass Gott --

juist hen wil redden?nur sie retten wird?

Poem S3098
Amsterdam, 2026-03-03
My struggle 4. Dancing in the Dark (Karl Ove Knausgård) - 2010
Autobiographical novel "Min Kamp. Fjerde bok" (translated 2015), part 5 - August 26th, 1985, Tveit (near Kristiansand)
Collection: Leaving
Tribute to: Knausgård, Karl Ove 
 

I heard someone say:

I'm sorry. Well, well, it is --


about time, isn't it?


Ik hoorde iemandIch hörte sagen:
zeggen: Het spijt me. Ja, dat --Es tut mir leid. Nun, wurde --

werd ook wel eens tijd!aber auch Zeit, ja?

Poem S3038
Amsterdam, 2025-12-22
It was about time, thought the pike (Toon Tellegen) - 2018
Short story "Dát werd tijd, dacht de snoek", published in the collection "Het leed van de stoftor" #10
Collection: Perhaps / Some day / Occasionally / Almost
Tribute to: Tellegen, Toon 
 

You are quite ugly,

he says, come and visit and --


I will comfort you!


Jij bent heel lelijk,Du bist sehr hässlich,
zegt hij, kom op bezoek, dan --sagt er, besuche mich, ich --

zal ik je troosten!werde dich trösten!

Poem S3013
Amsterdam, 2025-11-27
The cockroach lived among the nettles (Toon Tellegen) - 2019
Short story "Tussen de brandnetels woonde de kakkerlak", published in the collections "De droom van het nijlpaard" (2019), and "Ze wisten er meer van" (2020)
Collection: Perhaps / Some day / Occasionally / Almost
Tribute to: Tellegen, Toon 
 

In a group I don't

feel inferior, never --


I am arrogant.


In een groep voel ik,Ich fühle mich nie
me nooit de mindere, geen --minderwertig, ich bin gar --

eigendunk heb ik.nicht aufgeblasen.

Poem H5006
Amsterdam, 2024-10-24
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", October 25th, 2000
Collection: In the shadow
Tribute to: Mizee, Nicolien 
 

Zywa Don't feed the animals

With a broad chest
a masturbating tongue
beautiful feathers, a hot breath
and a forked tongue
they live on our skin

We little horny rats in the eyes
of the screaming crowd
that rattles the fences
in the zoo, the cages
in which we are trapped

The gorillas who clear the way
the hyena who says she is helping
the peacock who dresses our hair
the dragon for our image and
the hissing of the tour manager

Don't step on their tails
and don't feed them, please
Just let their airs
explode, no more ground
beneath their feet

Poem 5572
Amsterdam, 2024-10-22
the ground beneath her feet (Salman Rushdie) - 1999
Novel, chapters 1 The Keeper of Bees, 12 Transformer, 13 On Pleasure Island
Music album "Hot rats" (1969, Frank Zappa)

Collection: Sludge
Tribute to: Rushdie, Salman 
Composer: Zappa, Frank 
 

Then the worst thing is

the conceited nobleness --


that he forgives me!


Het ergste is welDas Schlimmste ist doch
de ijdele edelheid --wohl der eitle Edelmut --

dat hij mij vergeeft!dass er mir vergibt!

Poem S2322
Amsterdam, 2024-08-24
The Black Prince (Iris Murdoch) - 1973
Comical novel, A Celebration of Love, part One
Collection: Dreams of love
Tribute to: Murdoch, Iris 
 

Oh, how they enjoy

their joke, they are so clever --


They are so heartless . . .


O, wat juichen zeOh, wie sie jubeln
om hun grap, ze zijn zo slim --über ihren Witz, so schlau --

en zo gevoelloos . . .und so gefühllos . . .

Poem S2270
Amsterdam, 2024-07-14
Chorus "Duke, duke!" (Victor Hugo / Francesco Maria Piave / Giuseppe Verdi) - 1832
Chorus "Duca, duca!" from the opera "Rigoletto" (1851, "Rigolo" = funny-man, funny, amusing), second act; based on the play "Le roi s'amuse" (1832, "The king has fun")
Collection: Tardiness in Acceleration
Tribute to: Hugo, Victor; Piave, Francesco Maria 
Composer: Verdi, Giuseppe 
 

People are killing

each other, they want their God --


to be the victor.


Mensen vermoordenMenschen töten sich
elkaar, ze willen hun God --gegenseitig, denn ihr Gott --

als overwinnaar.muss triumphieren.

Poem S2245
Amsterdam, 2024-06-30
The Enchantress of Florence (Salman Rushdie) - 2008
Novel, part 3, chapter 19
Collection: Wind
Tribute to: Rushdie, Salman 
 

Duty of plunder:

it is attractive to them --


The chosen people.


Plundering als plichtPlünderung als Pflicht
is aantrekkelijk voor hen:ist für sie sehr attraktiv:

uitverkorenen.die Auserwählten.

Poem S2241
Amsterdam, 2024-06-29
The Enchantress of Florence (Salman Rushdie) - 2008
Novel, part 3, chapter 19 - Afghan tribes, led, misled and incited by religious doctrines
Collection: Wind
Tribute to: Rushdie, Salman 
 

As monarch he rules

from east to west, coast to coast --


Two seas wash his feet.


Als koning heerst hijDer König herrscht von
van kust tot kust, twee zeeën --Küste zu Küste, in zwei --

wassen zijn voeten.Meeren wäscht er sich.

Poem S2218
Amsterdam, 2024-06-11
Victory City (Salman Rushdie) - 2023
Novel "Victory City" [Vijayanagar >> Bisnaga, based on Fatehpur Sikri ('Victory City', near Agra), the capital of Emperor Abdul-Fath Jalaluddin 'Akbar' (= 'the Great' >> 'Akbar the Great')], part 1 Birth, chapter 5
Collection: Wind
Tribute to: Rushdie, Salman 
 

God doesn't ask people

for their love, but only for --


their obedience.


God vraagt de mensenNur, von den Menschen
niet om hun liefde, maar om --verlangt Gott keine Liebe --

hun gehoorzaamheid.sondern Gehorsam.

Poem S2192
Amsterdam, 2024-05-18
Shalimar the Clown (Salman Rushdie) - 2005
Novel, chapter Shalimar the Clown, § 2
Collection: Sludge
Tribute to: Rushdie, Salman 
 

We pile up power

and build the tallest tower --


Then it collapses.


We stapelen macht,Wir häufen Macht an,
bouwen de hoogste torens --bauen die höchsten Türme --

tot ze instorten.bis sie einstürzen.

Poem S2045
Amsterdam, 2023-12-10
Slow Train (Bob Dylan) - 1979
Song (album "Slow Train Coming")
Collection: Great Flow 
Tribute to: Dylan, Bob 
 

Killing people and

leaving them in the streets day --


after day to rot.


Mensen vermoordenMenschen ermorden
en hen dag na dag op straat --und sie dann auf der Straße --

laten verrotten.verrotten lassen.

Poem S2040
Amsterdam, 2023-12-08
Antigone (Sophocles) - -442
Play
Terror of gangs and regimes

Collection: PumicePieces
Tribute to: Sophokles 
 

You jump the queue, but

why do you want that, your soul --


being left behind?


Jij dringt wel voor, maarDu drängelst dich vor,
waarom wil je dat, terwijl --aber warum, wenn deine --

je ziel achterblijft?Seele zurückbleibt?

Poem S1986
Amsterdam, 2023-10-30
Asterix and the White Iris (Fabcaro) - 2023
Comic strip "Asterix - L'Iris blanc", illustrations by Didier Conrad), saying of the Roman medical officer Isivertuus to Impedimenta
Collection: Truder
Tribute to: Caro, Fabrice ('Fabcaro') 
 

My friend yells: Frisco!!

Meditation is nonsense!


Ugh, enlightenment!


Mijn vriend schreeuwt: Frisco!Mein Freund schreit: Frisco!!
Mediteren is onzin!Meditation ist Unsinn!

Spuug op verlichting!Bespuck Erleuchtung!

Poem S1959
Amsterdam, 2023-10-16
Desolation Angels (Jack Kerouac) - 1965
Book, chapter 1-2-77, written 1956: Gregory Corso, upon Jack Kerouac's return to San Francisco, wrote a poem about Jack's interest in Buddhism and his weeks of meditation on Desolation Peak, entitled "To Jack Kerouac, Buddha-fish" and beginning with the line "Spit on Bosatsu!" (two golden fish are the symbol of good fortune, because they shall not drown in the sea of suffering; Bosatsu = Boddhisattva)
Collection: MistI
Tribute to: Kerouac, Jack 
 

People who bet think

they really know a fair bit --


about chance and fate.


Mensen die weddenLeute, die wetten,
denken heel wat te weten --glauben, sie wissen über --

van toeval en lot.Zufall und Schicksal.

Poem S1920
Amsterdam, 2023-09-14
The GP and the light girl (Simon Vestdijk) - 1952
Novel "De dokter en het lichte meisje", chapter "I defend the middle and my honour"
Collection: Inmost [2]
Tribute to: Vestdijk, Simon 
 

Apartheid means that

you do not see the others --


you're looking through them.


Apartheid is datApartheid, das heißt,
je de anderen niet ziet --man sieht die anderen nicht --

maar door hen heen kijkt.sieht durch sie hindurch.

Poem S1912
Amsterdam, 2023-09-11
A Change of tongue (Antjie Krog) - 2003
Tale, part 4
Collection: Actively Passive
Tribute to: Krog, Antjie 
 

I trust in God's will,

so my rashness surely is --


and must be His work!


Ik vertrouw Gods wil,Ich vertraue Gott,
dus mijn onbezonnenheid --meine Unbesonnenheit --

is zeker Zijn werk!muss Sein Wille sein.

Poem S1842
Amsterdam, 2023-08-01
The Queen of the Tambourine (Jane Gardam) - 1991
Novel, § April 1st (1989)
Collection: Actively Passive
Tribute to: Gardam, Jane 
 

Oh, those latecomers!

They enter and intervene --


Don't do it that way!


O, die laatkomers!Diese Nachzügler!
Meteen grijpen ze in, want --Sie greifen sofort ein, denn --

het moet echt anders!so macht man das nicht!

Poem S1766
Amsterdam, 2023-05-19
A lightly inhabited island - Faxing to Ger #5 (Nicolien Mizee) - 2022
Diary novel "Een licht bewoond eiland - Faxen aan Ger #5", May 21st, 2000
Collection: In the shadow
Tribute to: Mizee, Nicolien 
 

Zywa Evil Eye

I'm not vain, I'm noble
Beyond reproach
I know the world, the people

with their little souls
their little minds
and little worries

I understand them, I see
the guilt and the shame
with which they punish themselves

for their lies
to keep the corpses
hidden in their wardrobe

I can guess them though
and I pass them on in a whisper
like a gear, a compelling eye

That's just how it works
Thanks to these seeds
I am exemplary

The seeds of my high-
handed, high-minded ideas
So practical, my slander

Poem 5188
Amsterdam, 2023-05-13
Evil Eye: Pride (after slandering people you consider inferior, look down on them with a compelling eye)
About slander: poem 5191. Evil Tongue

Collection: The drama
 

Unsolicited

they come to help, so modest --


is their haughtiness!


Ongevraagd komenUngefragt kommen
ze helpen, zo bescheiden --sie zu Hilfe, bescheiden --

is hun eigendunk!ihre Eitelkeit!?

Poem S1654
Amsterdam, 2023-02-04
Collection: Migration
 

The sexton enjoys

lamenting about God's love --


and the vale of tears.


De koster praat graagDer Küster spricht gern
klaaglijk over Gods liefde --kläglich von Gottes Liebe --

en het tranendal.und dem Jammertal.

Poem S1652
Amsterdam, 2023-02-03
Farewell (Jens Christian Grøndahl) - 2020
Story "Farväl" (collection "Dage som græs"), § 3
Collection: Whirligig Scribbler
Tribute to: Grøndahl, Jens Christian 
 

They are racing past

and they take it for granted --


that they're still alive.


Ze racen voorbij,Sie rasen vorbei,
vinden het vanzelfsprekend --halten es für normal, noch --

dat ze nog leven.am Leben zu sein.

Poem S1581
Amsterdam, 2022-11-29
The Office - Plankton (Han Voskuil) - 1997
Novel "Het Bureau - Plankton"
Page 132, Maarten Koning and Bart Asjes (1973)

Collection: Dirty hands
Tribute to: Voskuil, Han 
 

Zywa Good boy Abel

Good boy Abel
didn't sleep at home
considering himself better

He preferred to stay alone
with the animals in the field
and the dogs as guards

because everything had to be like then
in Paradise, that region
of the stories

he always asked for again

He wanted to know everything about our lives
the wandering about, the berries
nuts, goats and cows

And he had a trick
to make white smoke
With that he mocked his brother

He blamed also Adam and me
for Cain's need for comfort
He taunted him, provoked him

Poem 4529
Amsterdam, 2022-06-13
Collection: A Home
 

Close in on their grave,

let them die, they're unworthy --


of bearing a name.


Omsingel hun graf,Umzingle ihr Grab,
laat hen sterven, onwaardig --lass sie sterben, unwürdig --

een naam te dragen.Namen zu tragen.

Poem S1394
Amsterdam, 2022-04-10
Superiority idea - For example * Israel - Palestines, * European settlers in North America – Indians (19th century), * Russia - Ukrainians, * China - Uyghurs
Collection: The Praised One
 

A deliberate

error at the end, humble --


pinnacle of pride.


Op het eind expresEin absichtlicher
een fout maken, deemoedig --Fehler, der demütige --

toppunt van hoogmoed.Gipfel des Hochmuts.

Poem S1191
Amsterdam, 2021-06-17
All-crushing - Faxing to Ger #3 (Nicolien Mizee) - 2019
Diary-novel "Allesverpletterende - Faxen aan Ger"
Collection: In the shadow
Tribute to: Mizee, Nicolien 
 

Zywa Everyday blues

The boy has grown up
he comes ashore

in the harbour of nostalgia
and everyday blues
as a king with a parade
of splendour and a gang

Surrounded by soldiers
he strokes the fur
of his robe
He is not a hero

He does not bring golden times
no wages according to work
no protection from injustice
He only gives a show

of his power, his free hand
to hunt unicorns

Poem 2472
Amsterdam, 2019-10-24
Sun King (John Lennon, The Beatles) - 1969
Song (album "Abbey Road")
Celtic symbolism: Tinne (the Holly), that is always green, supportive, protecting, possessive and repelling enemies; the Holly should be guided by Govannon (Gobannus, the Blacksmith, a divine Hero) and the Unicorn (the symbol of purity and strength)

Collection: Lilith's Powers
Tribute to: Lennon, John; The Beatles 
 

Zywa Flag of stories

The zealots fight harder and harder
for their own state, own country
against the loss of their stories

Their frustration memory
the doom image of anonymously
and dispersed over the earth

having a good life
but not being chosen
and still not free

of strangers, their incomprehension
and selective envy and
above all the past

that obliges them under penalty
of loss of flag, loss of identity and of
everything that should cover the cargo

The cruelty from heaven
The far-flung death
The finally acquired land

and the permanent salvation
from the itinerant existence
of Nahor, Terah, Abram

and the daughters of the daughters
of the daughters of the daughters
of his daughters

Poem 1764
Amsterdam, 2018-05-25
Jerusalem now
Collection: The Praised One
 

Zywa I know

I know the books of wisdom
and the rules how to live
without idols, yet modest

I know: a king does matter
he makes proud and servile
he sits on a throne of violence

I know: failure divides
nationalists in zealots
and dreamers, licking

their bitterness behind walls
of obdurate hope, dissatisfied
with a good life, yes I know

For 1000 years they've been fighting
in the name of the Force
of their desire

to enjoy princely
ignoring that peace is not free
and that there are no inhuman people

only people who pay the price
who know the words
and believe

in action

Poem 1762
Amsterdam, 2018-05-24
Jerusalem from AD 30 until now (from Saul to current anti-Palestinian nationalism)
Collection: The Praised One
 

Posers with airs will

be set back in whatever --


their places may be.


KapsoneslijersAufspieler werden
worden op hun plaats gezet --in die Schranken gewiesen --

wat die plaats ook is.welche auch immer.

Poem H1661
Amsterdam, 2017-02-08
Sir Bumble and The Flattening (Marten Toonder) - 1969
Comic strip #128 - "Heer Bommel en Het Platmaken", tier 6714
Collection: Puss & Lord
Tribute to: Toonder, Marten 
 

Any thought to be

a model causes trouble --


It is so priggish.


Een voorbeeld denkenDenken, ein Vorbild
te zijn, geeft maar narigheid --zu sein, gibt nur Ärgernis --

Het is kwasterig.Es ist wichterig.

Poem S0441
Amsterdam, 2016-12-14
Sir Bumble and The Black Slytherin (Marten Toonder) - 1957
Comic strip #75 - "Heer Bommel en De Zwarte Zwadderneel" (tiers 3118-3160 and 3162-3169), tier 3132
Zwadder = spit of a poisonous serpent

Collection: Puss & Lord
Tribute to: Toonder, Marten 
 

Zywa Fact snips

I only would cry
if I did watch and listen
on terraces, the ferry, the news
the places where it doesn't make sense
to disagree with people

The world divided into opinions
Truths aren't searched for
you have yours or you can do without
without seeing the facts
Immaculate, ingenuous, innocent

And if you think you know better
you toughly shout how mighty they are:
your great man and the heroes
of your nation, your nation
inside the fences

of no-man's-land

Poem 877
Amsterdam, 2016-12-08
Collection: Mosaic virus
 

We may not be big,

but if we want, we will win --


one more Treasure fleet!


Al zijn we niet groot,Wir sind klein, pass auf,
als we willen winnen we --sonst gewinnen wir wieder --

weer een Zilvervloot!die Silberflotte!

Poem H1056
Amsterdam, 2014-11-20
Treasure fleet (Jan Pieter Heije) - 1847
Song "Zilvervloot" (music Jan Viotta)
Collection: May the Might
Tribute to: Heije, Jan Pieter 
 

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