Zywa Erasmus

I want to live, so I have to
praise life, and our folly
having a good time

and getting children, uninhibited
and blind to the hardness
of our existence and of people

their failures, errors and deceit
yes, our flight for each other's
aggression and cruelty

Without ideals, I still want
to discover more of life
I am open to the miracle

that you are another me, but
carefully, since the kindergarten
teacher put my trust in the corner

where I took shelter in obedience
and paying extra attention, because
being myself was dangerous

Poem 1327
Amsterdam, 0000-00-00

The Praise of Folly (Desiderius Erasmus) (1511)
Book "Moriae encomium, sive Stultitiae laus"
The kindergarten of the nuns, in the Piet Heinstraat in Tilburg (1956-1958)

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Identity: personality 
Tribute to: Erasmus, Desiderius 
 

Sex and frustrations

toss and turn behind the fronts --


of neighbourly love.


Seks en frustratiesSex und Frustration
woelen achter de gevels --ringen hinter den Fronten --
van naastenliefde.der Nächstenliebe.

Poem S0200
Amsterdam, 2014-05-22

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Neighbours: love 
 

Zywa Licking the nectar

We surrender
to our passion
and we lick the nectar
that sticks to the arousal

With whisper, sigh
moan and the shout
that people shout
when they don't behave

but have taken off their clothes
and celebrate the high love
which makes their lives special -
in the holy faith that it exists

and nourishes us, every fiber
of our body celebrating that
licking the nectar
licking each other

Poem 1611
Amsterdam, 2017-11-10

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Love: nourishes 
 

Zywa Only our love is great enough

Labels come off again
fortunately
life is pulling and pushing

itself free, eventually, wishing
to see and show: the body
merely dressed in its soul

the human being we are
the life we lead
in reality

indistinguishable
from one another, connected
with the Very Greatest

which is too great for us, too great
for narrow-minds knowing-it-all
or thinking they are better –

only our deeds
can share in it
our caring

our love
only our love
is great enough

Poem 1651
Amsterdam, 2018-01-19

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Love: care 
Dedicated to: Maria Godschalk 
 

Zywa I left

Increasingly sophisticated
you know your feelings
so interesting
come and see

how open and vulnerable
you like to show yourself
inviting women
to live in you

You have so much to offer
that demands their attention
in your home, but
it's uncomfortable there

cold and hard beside the sofa
on which they pamper you
and you, satisfied
call that love

Poem 2135
Amsterdam, 2019-02-28

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Ego / ~ism/~centrism 
 

Zywa Nixa (MO)

Oh, you noble knights
and wise old women
I couldn't care less

about advice and pity
what do you know

about this nix city
or the commotion in my heart
you can't see the blood

flow to my face, my lips
twitching, my smile telling

what I won't say or write
you can't hear the charm
of my voice, I know

my problems
better than you do

Poem 2142
Amsterdam, 2019-03-09

Nixa (MO) = Nothing but a crossroads
Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Self-knowledge (power) 
Keyword: UsA% 
Dedicated to: Siera Mayhew 
 

Zywa Endorphin sweets

Sometimes I need someone
let us have a chat
meet somewhere here
or in a conversation box
we could laugh together
and share some
endorphin sweets
cutting isn't enough

red lines, welling up
from my heart
the kerfs of my tribe
saw teeth, welling up
from my heart
and read my poetry
red lines, welling up
from my heart

Poem 2143
Amsterdam, 2019-03-09

The Niuachi = People of the River Mouth, the Missouria tribe
Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Love: wish (action) 
Keyword: UsA% 
Dedicated to: Siera Mayhew 
 

Zywa Yes, I am I

It's quiet down in the dumps
only echoes from my heart
repeating who I am

until my head acquiesces
in who I am, saying yes
time and time again

without giving me names
of Good, Bad, Less
and Indulgent

I have to get on
with my qualities
which I needed and

which only in the present tense
should be weighed
for what I am worth

I'm not going to drown myself
in sorrow and pain
which point to the culprits --

I'm hurt, that's all

Poem 2242
Amsterdam, 2019-05-12

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Identity:  
Dedicated to: Maria Godschalk 
 

Zywa Blood Flag

You lie who I am
so do not bother me, do not look
do not say anything, do not ignore me
act normal, can't you see
my Blood Flag in the storm!

I don't want sugar and no pat
and certainly not to be good
I want your recognition
of what has been done to me
only then will I lower my flag!

Well, say it, say it often
enough to make me believe
it is true, the bad luck
I've had, and that I am
wonderful nevertheless!

Only then will I say: Damn!
It's over, come on!
I just have to live with it!
And not stand in my own way!
I can really bear that burden!

Poem 2489
Amsterdam, 2019-10-30

People, especially adults, should pay attention to the needs of others
The blood flag is a Dutch red attack flag from the seventeenth century, on which is an arm lifting a sword

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: People: men (aggression) 
Dedicated to: Siera Mayhew 
 

Zywa Angelina

I have two full boxes of mail
and a drawer with old stuff
an autumn leaf from 1989
the wings mama put on me
to see what I had to be

and a few scraps of her voice
from the stealthily moments
when I held my breath
to hear the secrets
she discussed downstairs

Again, I smell what I wished for
her love all day long
and she being happy accordingly
but I should have been an angel
to accomplish it

Only these items have remained
moved over and over with me
to a new version of myself
Sometimes I sniff it, read answers
from then and find questions for now

Poem 2951
Amsterdam, 2020-04-21

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Inheritance 
Dedicated to: Maria Godschalk 
Dedicated to: Angelina S 
 

Zywa Fly in your attention

It feels famous, those sunglasses
against the guessing and hoping eyes
that warm you with attention

Yes, we watch, because we know
we are seen by you
we straighten our backs and laugh

We hear you, you like to talk
about love, about desires
and about me

that I seem to be ready
Yes, I really wanted
to believe that

and my body called
for redemption, but you took
my soul in return

Why was my age just a number
why did I think I could
fly in your attention?

You played with the words
Please Rescue Me
but I survived you

Poem 2957
Amsterdam, 2020-04-24

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Power: 
Dedicated to: Siera Mayhew 
Tribute to: Kelly, Robert Sylvester 
 

Zywa Roses and sweat

Under the table, no one
gets in the way with giant shoes
my world can exist there --
until dinner

the houses, roads and construction projects
with all the thoughts of the people
I can read and answer --
with new plans

In the summer there are tables in the garden
with clips on the long cloths
swaying in the light of the wind --
my tent after dinner

which was small and dark at first
full of adults' legs
but cheerful with their voices --
my other world

I stroke the dry grass
clear ways for the ants
and breathe the strange air --
of roses and sweat

Poem 2960
Amsterdam, 2020-04-25

Abandoned tables (Juane Xue) (2020)
Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Realism 
Dedicated to: Maria Godschalk 
Tribute to: Xue, Juane 
 

Zywa #Beauty [1]

All people look at me
but no one sees me
Their looks stop at their fantasy

That's how it is to be almost a goddess
inhuman, an image, an avatar
around my body

concealing that I exist
and preventing me from dying
although everyone wants to kill me

for what It has done
in its creative drive
from which I was born

As if I can do something about
the way men and women see me
and what follies they commit

for the phantom with my name
which is immortal and naked
looking fixedly at them

so that their weapons fall
and they reconcile
with their dreams

Poem 3155
Amsterdam, 2020-08-30

"Hele-na" = "Mistress of Sunlight"
The most beautiful woman in the world, daughter of Zeus, wife of "Menelaus" ("Vigor of the people"), Paris en "Deiphobus" ("God-fearer")

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Beauty: body 
 

Zywa #Woman

The loveliest caress you know
is my radiance on your skin
You cannot be more beautiful
than that feeling

I am your dearest mistress
You take me with the name you give
me: Mistress of Sunlight, brightness
of your life

Your pride makes me
human, knowing
that I'm too light, too hot
to be intimate with you

You can only dream of that
Sometimes you boast
that you brought me to safety
conquered city and country for me

and are living happily ever after with me
sometimes that you have renounced me
and have me murdered in Rhodes
but I'm alive

My grave is not a grave
but a memorial stone
even if your bones lie next to it
as if I have been yours

Poem 3157
Amsterdam, 2020-08-30

"Hele-na" = "Mistress of Sunlight"
The most beautiful woman in the world, daughter of Zeus, wife of "Menelaus" ("Vigor of the people"), Paris en "Deiphobus" ("God-fearer")

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: People: women 
 

Zywa #Beauty [2]

I have no worries
no other than sex
and the question of what love is
How do I keep his attention?

I'm trying my best
to converse intelligently
and wittily, but
I don't lose the feeling

that our marriage is a play
In bed, he stares away from me
while caressing and making love
He doesn't see my loneliness

but makes the most of it
he keeps me safe in his arms
before he gets active, and then
puts me to sleep on his chest

on his heart, which beats so
quietly and intangibly for me
when it suits him
He doesn't see my beauty

Poem 3165
Amsterdam, 2020-09-12

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Beauty: essence 
 

Who knows who is who

at the masked ball, crazy with --


curiosity?


Een gemaskerd bal:Auf dem Maskenball
niemand weet wie wie is, gek --weiß keiner noch, wer wer ist --
van nieuwsgierigheid.verrückt vor Neugier.

Poem S1219
Amsterdam, 2021-08-21

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Curiosity: about others 
 

Zywa Love in the Wild West

In the amusement park, people
kiss a movie of love in the city
with music and some words
No sugar, pure
like espresso; an eyebrow
raised for a moment, says it all

A girl sways on roller skates
between the houses of cards
sand castles and factories
She gets priority
from staring drivers
who separate Romeo from Juliet
on either side of the street

and laugh at the pedestrians
they cut, they are fast
on their way to going crazy
thinking of a secret lover
hidden under the scars
of their lies

Poem 4234
Amsterdam, 2021-12-18

Dire Straits (0)
"Once upon a time in the West" (1979, Dire Straits) and the albums "Making Movies" (1980, Dire Straits) and "Love Over Gold" (1984, Dire Straits)
Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Love: is all 
Tribute to: Knopfler, Mark 
Tribute to: Dire Straits 
 

In our character,

our convictions make imprints --


of unfree conduct.


OvertuigingenÜberzeugungen
stempelen ons karakter --prägen deinen Charakter --
met onvrij gedrag.Du handelst unfrei.

Poem S1357
Amsterdam, 2022-03-18

Against the Epistle to the Ephesians 1:13-14
Character = Imprint

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Freedom: mental 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

In the hospital

there is functional nudeness --


but never in art.


Functioneel naaktFunktionell nackt
komt voor, in het ziekenhuis --gibt es schon, im Krankenhaus --
maar niet in de kunst.nur, nicht in der Kunst.

Poem H3239
Amsterdam, 2022-03-26

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Body: naked 
 

Beauty can be nude,

and vice versa, it is just --


a sexual view.


Schoonheid kan naakt zijn,Schönheit kann nackt sein,
en omgekeerd, we kijken --und umgekehrt, wir gucken --
er seksueel naar.immer sexuell.

Poem H3241
Amsterdam, 2022-03-26

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Body: naked 
 

Sick and young and old

usually have good contacts --


for sex doesn't matter.


Ziek en jong en oudKrank und jung und alt
hebben vaak heel goed contact --haben oft guten Kontakt --
want seks speelt geen rol.weil da kein Sex spielt.

Poem H3242
Amsterdam, 2022-03-26

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Attention: for someone 
 

Our bodies frustrate

intimacy, yes they are --


quite fastidious.


Onze lichamenUnsere Körper
frustreren intimiteit --frustrieren Intimität --
Ze zijn kieskeurig.Sie sind wählerisch.

Poem H3243
Amsterdam, 2022-03-26

Unconscious perceptions by the body
Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Love: intimacy 
 

We talk too much and

hug each other too little --


that's how the rules are.


We praten te veelWir reden zu viel
en knuffelen te weinig --und knuddeln viel zu wenig --
zo zijn de regels.so sind die Regeln.

Poem S1558
Amsterdam, 2022-11-01

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Friendship: conversations 
 

She pulls her dress up

to her face and then freezes --


hiding it in shame.


Ze trekt haar jurk opSie zieht ihr Kleid hoch
tot haar gezicht en houdt het --bis ans Gesicht, erstarrt und --
beschaamd verborgen.verbirgt es vor Scham.

Poem H4272
Amsterdam, 2023-11-01

The Cover-up (Marlene Dumas) (1994)
Painting
Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Shame 
Tribute to: Dumas, Marlene 
 

Dear eyeing prompter,

in the spotlight of your views --


I don't play a role.


Lieve soufflirter,Lieber Soufflirter,
in het licht van jouw ogen --im Spotlight deiner Augen --
speel ik geen rol meer.gibt's keine Rollen.

Poem H2737
Amsterdam, 2020-06-19

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: Freedom: 
Dedicated to: Dory dK 
 

Do not call it love

since she's a woman, not sex --


since he is a man.


Noem het geen liefdeNenn es nicht Liebe
omdat zij vrouw is, geen seks --weil sie eine Frau ist, Sex --
omdat hij man is.weil er ein Mann ist.

Poem S1342
Amsterdam, 2022-02-19

Collection: Imprints Masks 
Keyword: People: love and sex 
 

Zywa
     Collection:   Imprints Masks
GroupGermanDutch5-7-5
PencilPumiceRainLoves
CompressedBirdsIflessPhoto