It is just a truth

that is greater than myself:


I'm not qualified!


Het is een waarheid,Es ist einfach wahr,
die groter is dan ikzelf,und größer als ich, dass ich --

dat ik het niet kan!nicht geeignet bin!

Poem H5026
Amsterdam, 2024-10-29
For God and Social Services (Nicolien Mizee) - 2000
Novel "Voor God en de Sociale Dienst", September 30th, 1999
Collection: In the shadow
Tribute to: Mizee, Nicolien 
 

My foe shows no light,

but I do sense some little --


dark within myself.


In de vijand zieIm Feind sehe ich
ik geen licht, wel voel ik iets --kein Licht, aber ich spüre --

donkers in mijzelf.was Dunkles in mir.

Poem H4566
Amsterdam, 2024-03-19
Two Years Eight Months & Twenty-Eight Nights (Salman Rushdie) - 2015
Novel "Two Years Eight Months & Twenty-Eight Nights" (which is 1001 nights), chapter 8 "In Which the Tide Begins to Turn"
Collection: Wind
Tribute to: Rushdie, Salman 
 

My decision is

final, and that means, I am --


going to change it.


Mijn besluit staat vast,Mein Entschluss steht fest,
en dat betekent, dat ik --das bedeutet, ich werde --

er aan ga tornen.mich nicht dran halten.

Poem H4101
Amsterdam, 2023-09-01
The shining armour (Simon Vestdijk) - 1956
Novel "Het glinsterend pantser", chapter 3-III. Devilish and other surprises
Collection: Inmost [2]
Tribute to: Vestdijk, Simon 
 

We are the winners,

all we don't know is listed --


in our manual.


In de handleidingDas Handbuch von uns
van ons winnaars staat alles --Gewinnern, führt alles auf --

wat we niet weten.was wir nicht wissen.

Poem H3745
Amsterdam, 2023-03-01
A manual for my successor (Erik Solvanger) - 2008
Poem "Een handleiding voor mijn opvolger" (collection "Slijp het sternum")
Collection: Specialities
Tribute to: Solvanger, Erik 
 

Difficult questions

are no fun, you don't ask them --


to yourself, do you?


Moeilijke vragenSchwierige Fragen
zijn niet leuk, je stelt ze niet --sind nervig, du stellst sie nicht --

aan jezelf, of wel?nicht dir selbst, oder?

Poem S1003
Amsterdam, 2020-03-30
Collection: The light of words
 

Zywa My struggle

I my mind, I laugh
at myself, at my struggle
with myself, I cannot help
but fight my views

which are restricting me, fight
them with all the energy I have
and give away to what I want
to surmount, because I wish to win

with the ease of the master
who has lost the battle
in the clear awareness of nothing
outside himself being really enough

to confirm his existence
with a wholehearted yes, that recognizes
who he is, who I am, the yes
that I have said to myself so often

without fully believing in it
thinking of others
thinking of others
to satisfy my needs

Poem 1841
Amsterdam, 2018-09-22
Collection: Lilith's Powers
 

My self-knowledge is

that I do distract myself --


from knowing better.


Mijn zelfkennis isMein Selbstkenntnis ist,
dat ik mezelf steeds afleid --dass ich mich ablenke von --

van beter weten.besserem Wissen.

Poem S0668
Amsterdam, 2018-01-25
Collection: Half The Work
 

A good intention

just comes down to self-knowledge --


and being content.


Goede voornemensEin guter Vorsatz
komen neer op zelfkennis --erfordert Selbsterkenntnis --

met tevredenheid.und Zufriedenheit.

Poem H1951
Amsterdam, 2018-01-02
Stop New Year's resolutions (Ellen Deckwitz) - 2018
Column "Weg met voornemens" (in the nrc.next of January 2nd, 2018)
Collection: Death on Cast
Tribute to: Deckwitz, Ellen 
 

It's okay if I'm

a coward; if I know it --


it's my own business.


Ik mag best laf zijn;Ich darf feige sein;
als ik het maar besef, is --wenn ich es erkenne, ist --

het mijn eigen zaak.es meine Sache.

Poem H1726
Amsterdam, 2017-07-01
Within the skin (Han Voskuil) - 2009
Autobiographical novel "Binnen de huid" (written 1964-1967), chapter 12 - July 1954, Naarden
Collection: Elude
Tribute to: Voskuil, Han 
 

Writing honestly

about yourself is wrong, you --


would then wrong yourself.


Met een eerlijkeEine ehrliche
beschrijving van jezelf doe --Selbstbeschreibung wäre falsch --

je jezelf tekort.würde Unrecht tun.

Poem S0495
Amsterdam, 2017-06-27
On closer inspection (Han Voskuil) - 1963
Autobiographical novel "Bij nader inzien" - September 7th, 1951, Amsterdam
Collection: Elude
Tribute to: Voskuil, Han 
 

I'm writing about

myself, so you can attack --


me for who I am.


Mijn verhalen gaanIch schreibe über
over mij, op mijzelf kun --mich, wegen meiner selbst kann --

je me aanvallen.man mich angreifen.

Poem H1712
Amsterdam, 2017-06-25
On closer inspection (Han Voskuil) - 1963
Autobiographical novel "Bij nader inzien" - September 12th, 1949, Amsterdam
Collections: Elude, WriteWiser signage 
Tribute to: Voskuil, Han 
 

Zywa Good enough

Your mirror image isn't equally
beautiful on all sides
but good enough
and if someone takes an example
to you, it's about something else -
the way you are
the way you behave

an attitude, a virtue
a skill, an understanding
a balance of interests
as if it always goes that way
but you do know
better, you know
yourself

also
mirrored
differently
being
just
good
enough

also mirrored differently being just good enough

Poem 757
Amsterdam, 2016-08-20
Collection: I am
 

Mosquitos
buzz
Mosquitos
I can hear myself too

I listen to myself :
I love myself
 

Zywa
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