The future repeats

the past when citizens chase --


their neighbours away.


De toekomst herhaaltDie Zukunft ist wie
het verleden als buren --Vergangenheit, wenn Nachbarn --
weggejaagd worden.vertrieben werden.

Poem S2005
Amsterdam, 2023-11-17

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Neighbours: neighbourhood 
Keyword: Tolerance 
 

Zywa Rainbow

No one paid attention

till the water poured over
the mountain ridge into the lake
It was raining all summer
a dense gray aerial

sea shed
as a world ocean
over the earth, a thick skin
of beating wood came flooding
up, do not mind the animals

Do not look for people
you knów
the old world
still bubbles up a bit
from the drowned trees

The water stretches
and tautens a flat mirror
under the sky and the rainbow
My boat floats
until it gets stranded

Poem 1700
Amsterdam, 2018-03-16

Arc (Ton Bruynèl) (1966)
Composition, performed in the Organpark on March 2nd, 2014
Turkey (Black Sea, 6300-6200 BC)
Noah

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Collection: org anp ark 
Keyword: Life: survival (effort) 
Keyword: Turkiye% 
Composer: Bruynel, Ton 
 

In the morning we

open the day with the key --


What our life is for.


Morgens openen, 'sMorgens eröffnen
we de dag met de sleutel --wir den Tag mit dem Schlüssel --
Waartoe wij bestaan.Wozu wir da sind.

Poem H3687
Amsterdam, 2023-01-29

Morning prayer / Antroposophical Morning verse (Rudolf Steiner)
Catechism: Why are we here? To glorify God and enjoy him forever.

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Future: direction 
Tribute to: Steiner, Rudolf 
 

Zywa Opening

Outside is the earth, the life
of lungs, hearts and legs
Outside we experience the wonder
of everything around us
Outside we live the wonder
of who we are

Within is heaven, the creative soul
of our life together
Within we unfold
and we give the best
Within we are open
to what the world offers

Open, I let
the outside in and
the inside out
like a stream
Open, I receive
and I give myself

Poem 5075
Amsterdam, 2023-01-30

"Genesis" ("Bereshit")
"Morgenspruch für die Klassen 5-12" ("Morning verse for grades 5-12", September 7th, 1919, Rudolf Steiner)

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Life: experience 
Keyword: Reiki^ 
Tribute to: Steiner, Rudolf 
 

The farmer watches

the land, the livestock, the wind --


the amount of work.


De boer overzietDer Bauer über-
het land, het vee en de wind --schaut das Land, das Vieh, den Wind --
en het vele werk.

Poem H0257
Amsterdam, 2012-02-12

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Economy 
 

Zywa The stewards

No one lives for himself
we sing at funerals
We live for each other, the others
live for us and work for us

except the stewards
who accumulate wealth
because they want to believe
that this is best, and because

no one can comprehend
that the creation from nothing
is all, the universe with the earth
and mankind as the servant

of the crop, first in Eden
then outside it, and after that
the second expulsion, from the city
where they worked together

expelled to all regions
to praise God world-wide
with agriculture, as if the earth
wouldn't be good enough without it

Poem 4883
Amsterdam, 2022-12-08

Song "Niemand leeft voor zichzelf" ("No one lives for himself", text Huub Oosterhuis), for the funeral of bishop Wim Bekkers on May 14th, 1966)
Luke 16:1-8 Parable of the rich steward helping the debtors
Servant: Genesis 2:5,15, 3:23 Man must till the earth, first in the garden of Eden, then outside it
Working together: Genesis 11:1,4 The people want to stay together, so they build a city with a citadel
Driven out: Genesis 11:9 The people are driven out of their city to till the whole earth

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Together: labour / work / office 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Looking at the tree:

can I climb that high, up there --


where the kite is stuck?


De boom in kijken:In den Baum schauen:
kan ik zo hoog klimmen, daar --kann ich so hoch klettern, da --
waar de vlieger zit?wo der Drachen ist?

Poem H0496
Winschoten, 2013-07-06

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Reason: estimate 
 

Zywa The first humans

Men are cautious
they rather spurn their chances

than to rely on their noses, but
they can be seduced to take a little bite

if you insist and
have not gotten sick from it yourself

Indeed, it started
with the famous apple, a fig

After the first one he too wanted more
We learned

to look through the foliage
to remember where the trees are

and how to get there, to smell
where the fruit is ripe

We got up earlier than the others
and left in the moonlight

to be the first just a little further away
and get the prize

We grew in our head
and became human

Poem 4519
Amsterdam, 2022-06-11

Inaugural lecture by Karline Janmaat on June 10th, 2022 in Leiden: with the emerging of angiospermous plants, primates evolved into human beings
The tree of the knowledge of good (useful) and bad (detrimental): Genesis 2:9,17

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Brain 
 

The little girl tells

her grandmother everything --


about conception.


Het meisje legt uitDas Mädchen erklärt
aan haar oma, hoe het zit --ihrer Oma, wie es ist --
met de voortplanting.mit der Fortpflanzung.

Poem H0263
Train Amsterdam-Basel, 2012-02-17

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Knowledge: gain 
 

Zywa Cost him a rib

It's a wrong story
a local story of wif and wiffor
that has overgrown the world
Only in the East

were wifs and men
spared from the cultural lie
that wif is a hole
in man's chest

continually costing him a rib
poor man, first drawn out
of the clay by God
then by seven horses

I step out of his fantasy
of wo-man, the dream image
a wif has to play
to be watched, not seen

a mann-equin
a bit of fairy, a bit of whore
sometimes a muse to his soul
and the mother of his children

Poem 4893
Amsterdam, 2022-12-19

(Genesis 2:23) Ish-sha was formed out of Ish, Wo-man out of Man
From an evolutionary point of view, it would be better to say: Wif and Wiff-or (masculine wif), or Man and Mann-or
Equal names are best: Wif and Man
Mann-equin: from Mann-eke = "little man", a tailor's doll or statue
Fairy and whore are the two words that do not have a masculine word form

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Equality: inequality 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

We got to know each

other well, talking a lot --


about all the boys.


We leerden elkaarWir lernten uns gut
goed kennen door te praten --kennen, meist im Geplauder --
over de jongens.über alle Jungs.

Poem H0291-06
Amsterdam, 2012-03-10

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Friendship: conversations 
 

Zywa Clay, ribs, and blood

Lilith was just like him -
from the clay, not as docile
as me; she left him

She prefers to roam
the world, seducing
men in the evening and robbing

families of their babies
so say the malicious tongues
that blacken everyone

who does not fit in their rules
It's true that she lives in trees
like a snake, I saw her once

at least, I think it was she
who praised me for my brain
and showed me the ripe fruits

With Adam I got two children
rib from his ribs, blood of my blood
The third was later made up

by the false tongues
that whitewash everything
that does not fit in their rules

Poem 4525
Amsterdam, 2022-06-13

Cain, the oldest, was called Seth by his descendants, to cover up that he committed a murder
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Stories: (un)truth 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

With their breadcrumb hands

children taste the cake of sand --


and a little sea.


Met paneerhandenDie Kinder kosten
proeven kinderen de taart --den frischen Kuchen aus Sand --
van zand en wat zee.und ein wenig Meer.

Poem H0354
Amsterdam, 2012-09-14

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Playing: learn 
 

Zywa The blessing of disobedient immaturity

When it has to do with God
it always gets complicated
because reason
does not give in easily
and wants to keep its logic

seeking every beginning, thinking
from a perfect creation
to the known world
with strong propensities
for self-indulgence and curiosity

For the sake of morality
God created the immaturity
of human impatience
and being unreasonable
to become reasonable

Adam and Eve were the first
children to become adults and
realise that life is not so perfect
with diseases, ageing and death
And it disappointed them

Poem 4910
Amsterdam, 2023-01-03

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Ethics: practice 
Keyword: Adultness 
 

I sigh with worry,

I keep thinking about it:


I have it -- thought up!


Ik zucht van zorgen,Ich habe Sorgen,
ik denk aan niets anders meer:ich denke ständig daran:
ik heb ze -- bedacht!ich hab sie – erdacht!

Poem S0113
Amsterdam, 2014-01-12

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Thinking (fret) 
 

Zywa Useful or Detrimental

Little children eat
from the tree of life
They have not yet heard
that there are other trees

but as soon as they find out
they want to taste those fruits
carefully, if necessary be strong
and swallow it with a wry face

They switch to the new
diet and come to realise
that life is not forever
and not as carefree as it seemed

You always have to choose
between useful and detrimental
have to create a world
like God did

because you want and can do it
because you know and figure out
how to do it, smarter
than the smartest animal

Poem 4887
Amsterdam, 2022-12-12

Not forever and not as carefree: Genesis 3:19
Come to realise: distinguish good (useful) from bad (detrimental - a practical qualification, not the ethical concept of "evil") (Genesis 3:5,22)
Like God: Genesis 1:26-27, 3:5,22
Smartest animal: the serpent (Genesis 3:1)
Study "Words become Worlds" ("Words become worlds", 1994, Ellen van Wolde): § 2 and 3, published separately in 1989

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Reason: discrimination 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Clearly resounding

in me, my Temple of Joy:


the bells of life's pains.


In mij, mijn TempelKlartöne in mir,
van Vreugde klinken heldermeinem Tempel der Freude:
schalen levenspijn.Schalen des Schmerzes.

Poem H2741
Amsterdam, 2020-06-20

Dule si (Temple of Solitary Joy, in Tianjin, dedicated to Guanyin, built in 984)
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Joy 
Dedicated to: Maria Godschalk 
 

Zywa Paradise Children

Young people are poor thinkers
You must first feed them

on the fruits of that one
special tree of knowledge

of what is useful and detrimental
before they know anything

and once they get that
they understand

that it is the way it has to be
if one doesn't want to remain a paradise child

for whom everything must be ready
in a world without dangers

What is detrimental to that, is good
for humanity, although it is a pity

that many adults do not continue to eat
the fruits of that tree

Poem 1225
Amsterdam, 2017-03-15

Genesis 2:9,17
Tree of the knowledge of good (useful) and bad (detrimental - a practical qualification, not the ethical notion of 'evil')

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Knowledge: gain 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

The sun goes down and

comes up again, endlessly --


I lived, as a child.


De zon gaat onderDie Sonne kommt auf
en komt weer op, eindeloos --und sie geht unter, endlos --
leefde ik, als kind.lebte ich, als Kind.

Poem S0064
Amsterdam, 2012-06-17

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Time: eternity 
 

Zywa We followed the river

Adam mapped it out
in the sand: the river
flows to the middle

of the day, opposite
are the mountains, steady
in place

although they seem to float
like clouds on which the wind
has no hold

We followed the river
Life became harder
with worries about the children

and the grandchildren
I wouldn't have wanted to miss it
Only Abel, oh Abel

who was so prideful
to believe thoughtlessly
that he knew better

Poem 4527
Amsterdam, 2022-06-13

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Life: course (on the way) 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

A lot of people

think they deserve a heaven --


They are know-it-all's.


Veel mensen denkenViele denken, sie
een hemel te verdienen --haben den Himmel verdient --
Ze zijn betweters.Die Besserwisser.

Poem S1884
Amsterdam, 2023-08-25

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Pride 
 

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: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Pride 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

We know each other,

we clearly know what we want --


to know, and what not.


We kennen elkaar,Wir kennen uns doch,
we weten wat we willen --wir wissen, was wir wissen --
weten en wat niet.wollen und was nicht.

Poem S0216
Amsterdam, 2014-05-29

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Communication: half(-hearted) 
 

Zywa Fight between the rivers (Dreamed Son)

You are my older self
having stopped dreaming, Dad
You want to keep
moving around
you want a new land
to move around

You don't want to look further
You want to look further
and not stay
in the new land
the Promised Land
Together we doubt

wrestling
about the meaning
of the promise
You, your dreamed son
and I, there is no reason
in that phantom

In my mind I take him with me
somewhere into the field
to deal with him
for good
before we break up
and hit the road again

Poem 5369
Amsterdam, 2023-11-08

Cain and Adam
Between the rivers: Mesopotamia
Phantom: see also poem 4896. Mother Earth "Abel is made of cardboard, a décor / piece for the firstborn / He doesn't speak, he follows // and is killed / to give Cain, the progenitor / of men, a reason to go // out into the wide world / That is what man was created for: / the earth must be tilled //"
Field: "And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him." (Genesis 4:8)
Study: "Words become Worlds" (1994, Ellen van Wolde); § 4 is the publication "The Study of Cain and Abel. A Narrative Study" (1991)

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Parents: father(hood) 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Possibilities,

illusions - the discomfort:


there are other ways.


Mogelijkheden,Möglichkeiten und
illusies: het ongemak --Illusionen - das Übel:
dat het anders kan.es könnte anders.

Poem S1942
Amsterdam, 2023-10-04

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Change: pain 
Keyword: Conscience 
 

Zywa Mother Earth

Abel is made of cardboard, a décor
piece for the firstborn
He doesn't speak, he follows

and is killed
to give Cain, the progenitor
of men, a reason to go

out into the wide world
That is what man was created for:
the earth must be tilled

to feed each of us
She is our first mother
she must not bleed

for our deeds, if we
rape her nature
we will perish

very real, not as characters
in someone else's story
then, there will be no other

Poem 4896
Amsterdam, 2022-12-26

Abel: Genesis 4:8
Cain: Genesis 4:1
All the earth must be tilled: Genesis 2:5, 3:23, 4:1, 9:19 Bleeding: Genesis 4:10-12
Study "Words become Worlds" (1994, Ellen van Wolde): § 4 is the publication "The Study of Cain and Abel. A Narrative Study" (1991)

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Earth: mother 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Around the green land

we drive a fence, with a gate --


to future harvests.


Om het groene landUm das grüne Land
slaan we een hek, met een poort --einen Zaun, mit einem Tor --
naar onze oogsten.zu vielen Ernte.

Poem H3304
Amsterdam, 2022-05-23

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Culture: skill 
 

Zywa Creator Seth

Changing one's name
after a scandal, it works
with time

Cain could do everything
he made tools
grew beans and grasses
with edible seeds and
built a house of loam

He created what he invented
but who still wants to know now?
His name has been black-washed

so the grandchildren just
had to deny him, no
their grandfather was Seth
the only real
son of Adam and Eve

who dug little canals
and made bedsteads
who created what he invented

Poem 4531
Amsterdam, 2022-06-13

The story of the flood solved the problem of the family tree. Lamech and his family survived, while Lamach and his family drowned.
Seth >> Enos >>>> Jared >> E >> Metusalem >> Lamech
Cain >> Enoch >> Irad >> M >> Methushael >> Lamach

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Culture: way of living 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Thank you, cat, you get

your blackbird offering back --


Gods are generous.


Dank je, poes, je krijgtDie Katze kriegt ihr
jouw mereloffer terug --Spatz-Opfer zurück, als Gott --
Zo gul zijn goden.bin ich großzügig.

Poem H0335
Amsterdam, 2012-08-07

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: allmightiness 
 

Zywa Mark of Cain

The oldest sons count
as patriarchs from Adam
Seth and Enos to Methuselah

Cain is a different story
from a time when there were more people
more women to get married

It is the story of the sacrifice
that was rejected
as if God did not exist

so that Cain lost his faith
and mourned for that
and God was sorry

so He forbade to kill him
and other unbelievers
you shall not kill a human being

Moses chiseled in two stones
which he smashed immediately
to teach the people a lesson

with the seething murder
of 3000 men, the blood sticks
to the priests forever

but they had every right
because God wanted
to do it Himself

Poem 1728
Amsterdam, 2018-04-24

The name Abel is related to ablu (son), and abal (mourning)
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Death: kill 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

A world of water:

clouds, heavy and low, raining --


into sky-high waves.


Een waterwereld:Eine Wasserwelt:
lage wolken regenen --niedrige Wolken regnen --
in hoge golven.auf hohen Wellen.

Poem H0293
Amsterdam, 2012-06-26

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Sea 
 

What is new is old,

because it does remember --


what has been before.


Wat nieuw is, is oud,Was neu ist, ist alt,
omdat het zich herinnert --indem es sich erinnert --
wat er is geweest.was gewesen ist.

Poem H0420
Amsterdam, 2013-03-02

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Evolution 
 

Zywa Little blood trunks

The big boat, belly full of colour
bodies, floated up to the clouds
no longer moves around
the high mountain
which begins to grow down

Like a seed capsule, it snaps open
fertilizes the slopes with blood
from the old world, with codes
of the secret of life
freshly written

going to travel over the earth
as little arks, swimming arks
crawling, walking, and flying arks
little blood trunks
full of prehistory

of the world
the real world
not the true one
that mankind
would create

Poem 1684
Amsterdam, 2018-02-18

Noah's Ark
Genesis 8:4-5
Colour bodies: chromosomes

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Collection: BloodTrunk 
Keyword: Evolution 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

It's solemny wrong

with the world, the choir members --


are wearing black masks.


Het is plechtig misDie Welt ist ernsthaft
met de wereld, het zangkoor --verkehrt, denn der Chor tritt auf --
draagt zwarte maskers.mit schwarzen Masken.

Poem S1274
Egmond aan Zee, 2021-10-27

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Fear: of disease 
Keyword: Covid-19^ 
 

Zywa The meekness of God

People are abusing and disputing
and this was not foreseen -
an unwanted consequence
of their autonomy

Of course God can change his mind

Away with creation
away with the parting of the waters
in heaven and on earth:
a flood, and over the bygones!

One more time: different plan!
Come on, a new beginning
a salvation and the acceptance
that there just is evil

in man, but softened
by the new progenitor
who promises to behave well
towards the earth and the people

and to be careful of them

Poem 4889
Amsterdam, 2022-12-12

Moral Wickedness: Genesis 6:5,11-13
Change his mind: Genesis 6:6-7,13
Change his mind a second time: Genesis 6:8-9, 8:21
New progenitor: Noah
Study "Words become Worlds" (1994, Ellen van Wolde): § 6, an enlarged version of the publication "Noah and God in the Story of the Flood" (1991)

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Ethics: vices 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

No more enemies,

the strong-castle is that old --


Welcome everyone!


Geen vijanden meer,Keine Feinde mehr,
zo oud is de kasteelburcht --so alt ist die starke Burg --
Welkom, iedereen!Alle Willkommen!

Poem H0429
Amsterdam, 2013-03-21

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Peace: 
 

Zywa Guilty

We know the story
of the great flood
as punishment from God

It was once only
He has promised, He gives
other punishments since then

and like Job and Franz K
believers believe
they are always guilty

and should be happy
that they're alive and
that God does not crush them

Yet God doesn't need servants
but people
do need each other

With faith, that is
the only thing
they can be guilty of

Poem 1730
Amsterdam, 2018-04-25

Genesis 9:11
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Neighbours: love 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Shed.. my tears of grief,

rested.. with my misfortune --


Forgotten.. myself.


Mijn verdriet gehuild,Mein Trauer geweint,
in mijn ongeluk berust --in mein Unglück mich gefügt --
Mezelf vergeten.Mich selbst vergessen.

Poem H1987
Zandvoort aan Zee, 2018-01-29

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Abuse (psycho-soma) 
 

Zywa Emzara's complaint

Being silent was best
Ham is strong and he threatened me
with a fatal accident
Then there was a child

Oh, my dear husband
the tireless
naturalist of the fermented juice
of sweet grapes

His old age has been tarnished
by that made-up anecdote
which hid the rapes
under a moment of shamelessness

But the punishment betrays it
anyway, the eternal curse
from the first scream
of the baby, innocent

Canaan, my youngest son
His generations to generation
subjugated and squeezed to death
in the purple lowlands

Poem 4537
Amsterdam, 2022-06-16

Book of Jubilees 4:33, Genesis 9:22
Canaan = "low" (lands) / "subjugated" (land) / (land of) "purple"

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Abuse (at home) 
 

It's always the same:

there must be a better way --


So, should I do it?


Het is weer zover:Immer das Gleiche:
dit kan duidelijk beter --dies könnte doch besser sein --
Zal ik het zelf doen?Soll ich es selbst tun?

Poem H0289
Amsterdam, 2012-03-03

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Care: neighbours 
Keyword: Action 
 

Zywa Peace and Reason

Were the rain and the flood
a punishment for Eve
and our frank reason, that does
not always do the right thing?

Or are we using that reason
just too little, like when
my husband was lenient with our son
and got angry with the baby?

What had come over him? He is old
and worried about the world
since the disaster, where all eight of us
have been spared

Let us just forget his words
just lead a good life
and found a city of peace
as the center of the whole world

Poem 1779
Amsterdam, 2018-06-01

Emzara, Noah, Cham, and Canaan
Genesis 10:6
Jerusalem, city of peace in the land of Canaan

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Peace: new start 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

People may get lost

in the rush sometimes, never --


in eternity.


Mensen verdwalenMenschen verirren
wel eens in alle drukte --sich manchmal in der Hektik --
nooit in eeuwigheid.nie in Ewigkeit.

Poem H0981
Amsterdam, 2014-06-01

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Stray 
 

Zywa Cavcas

With a seething hand, heaven shattered
the new city and the huge tower
The Hanging Gardens flew up

Chambers became airplanes
and carpets with set tables
landed far away in the long sea

A heavy rain
of rooms formed, with a splash
a sky-high mountain crest

The people from the Tower
spread out in fifty languages
fighting for borders

In reverse time, our world would
fly up in a nutshell, clot
together and land in Babel

Heaven would open
and the miracle would happen
that everyone understands the other

Poem 597
Amsterdam, 2016-03-22

From Babel and Etemenanki to the Caucasus Mountains (from 562 BC back in time to 6100 BC)
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Stray 
 

Creaking rope, sighing

trees and timber, sloshing waves --


The storm orchestra.


Krakend touw, zuchtendDas Seil knarrt, das Holz
hout en klotsende golven --seufzt und die Wellen platschen --
in het stormorkest.im Sturmorchester.

Poem S0112
Amsterdam, 2014-01-09

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Danger 
 

Zywa Bad tidings

God's wisdom is above all
above the impossible, above time
and the sigh of the ages
in which man exists, it is
contained in everything as miracles

in day and night, stars and planets
in donkey, bull, ostrich and vulture
the hippopotamus and the mighty crocodile
the unimaginably many ways
the animals live

and in every drop of water, dew
hoarfrost, rain, hail, snow and ice
No man can comprehend that
nor his own presence
and the course of his life

so tiny in God's hand
who needs not direct anything
for his wisdom automatically
creates - also misfortune
and the evil of men

Poem 4948
Amsterdam, 2023-01-09

The book Job 36-42
(Bad tidings: Job 1:13-19)

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Fate 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Flower aromas

are confusing me, tempting --


me to stop and stay.


De bloemengeurenDie Blumendüfte
verwarren mij, verleiden --verwirren mich, verführen --
mij om te blijven.mich hier zu bleiben.

Poem H0291-46
Amsterdam, 2012-05-20

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Attention: attract 
Keyword: Nature: flowers 
 

Zywa Goat heart

A wild goat lived in his heart
dreaming of paradise
so he decided to go there
and it was larger than imagined

For weeks, he looked
for the most beautiful place
to live, until one day
he approached the border, a wall

of mountains, and their weight filled
his legs, he could go no further
and stayed where he was
without answer

when his son asked if this
was it, the best, and they
of all people the happiest
here in paradise

Poem 2228
Amsterdam, 2019-04-26

Genesis 11:31
Terach and Abram in 1970 BC
Terach = wild goat, wanderer

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Migration 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

The wide river flows

through the pastures in long waves --


with a slow wing stroke.


De lange golvenDie langen Wellen
van de rivier door het land --des Flusses durch die Landschaft --
Trage vleugelslag.Träger Flügelschlag.

Poem H1042
, 2014-11-04

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Calm: space 
 

Zywa North Paradise

There are no guest rooms
because the land is too full
for a paradise life

The villages arm themselves
against newcomers
there is no need for them

They have to move on, to the hard soil
of the mountains, on the edge
of the North Paradise

or in a bend back
to the south, nowhere
welcome, nowhere is there enough

milk and honey, enough space
even if fields fall vacant
because of drought, smallpox, or plague

The neighbours fight for it
because the land is too full
for a paradise life

Poem 3512
Amsterdam, 2021-02-25

Terach, Abram, Sarai and Lot in 1970 BC
Terach = wild goat, vagrant

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Migration 
 

I'm packing my bag,

I really don't need that much --


to be someone's guest.


Ik pak mijn tas in,Ich packe den Sack,
ik heb echt niet veel nodig --ich brauche wirklich nicht viel --
om een gast te zijn.um ein Gast zu sein.

Poem H0162
Amsterdam, 2012-01-11

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Hospitality 
 

Zywa Land of my dreams

I feel Grandpa's soul in me

shrinking of desire
for land, not fields
but my own pastures
No longer being expelled
by the farmer's sons

with their dogs, mice
and bugs in the beds
for their sick and their sore backs
from plowing and planting
weeding, harvesting and grinding the grain

I have gone further
than my father, with my herd
on the way to uninhabited pastures
but I did not find them, nowhere
was the land of my dreams

Only the desert is free

Poem 1778
Amsterdam, 2018-06-01

Abraham, 1900 BC
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Migration 
 

A bird is circling

above my house: what is it?


it runs in my mind.


Een vogel cirkeltEin Raubvogel kreist
boven mijn huis: wat is er?über meinem Haus: was ist's?
maalt het in mijn hoofd.geht mir im Kopf um.

Poem S0047
Train Amsterdam-Basel, 2012-02-17

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Uncertainty 
 

Zywa Happiness is a bird

It was already there, unnoticed
until I started to pay attention

and now it comes in at full
strength during the ceremony

I'm melting before a wall
of a sky high blazing fire

am no longer a body myself
but flowing vibrations of heat

a glowing spirit growing
as if I'm spreading arms to wings

falling backwards a gently
waving bed catches

me, it eats the flames
and covers me with gold

It was already there
my third eye

hidden entrance
for secrets and primal energy

opening for the eternal
light from me

Poem 2303
Amsterdam, 2019-06-25

Abraham
Genesis 17:1-2,10-11

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

People cherish all

the beauty they imagine --


in Warehouse Wistful.


Mensen koesterenDie Menschen hegen
al het moois dat ze denken --das Schöne, was sie denken --
in Pakhuis Weemoed.im Speicher Wehmut.

Poem S0105
Amsterdam, 2013-10-10

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Melancholy 
 

Zywa Father Of Many

O sweet promise! I am childless
yet blessed forever
and threatened with eradication
of my descendants
if they become disobedient
and keep their foreskin

In the darkest nights
of my doubts, I lie down
on a warm stone under the stars
to see how innumerable many
people will be born

I dream of one great nation
though my son is a wild ass
fighting against all
and all are fighting against him

Poem 2173
Amsterdam, 2019-03-22

Abram = Exalted father, High father
Abraham = Father of many nations (Genesis 15:5 and 17:5)
Ishmael is his eldest son, a wild man (Gen. 16:12)

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

A living statue

does not seem to have muscles --


for a sudden sneeze.


Een levend standbeeldHaben Lebende
lijkt geen spieren te hebben --Statuen wohl die Muskeln --
voor ineens een nies.zum plötzlich Niesen?

Poem H0505
Amsterdam, 2013-07-14

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Art 
 

Zywa Along the road

Along the road stands an angel
with wild hair and a mouth full
of astonishment, an angel of stone:

mother, you stayed behind
you've seen too much
of the carbon black sky

The ground shook at night, the door
rattled with angry neighbours. Go away!
father cried. What do you want?

My daughters? Shall I send them?
They are still virgins.
He called us
but quickly quickly we left the city

that was stoned then
We no longer have friends
Next year we would get married

Poem 2336
Amsterdam, 2019-07-03

Lot (in Sodom near the Jordan river)
Genesis 19:4-8 and Judges 19:22-29

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Safety: flight 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Smell the aromas

at my transition party --


from lots of full pans!


Ruik al de geurenRieche die Düfte
op mijn overgangsfeestje --auf meinem Übergangsfest --
uit volle pannen!von vollen Pfannen!

Poem H0212
Amsterdam, 2012-01-27

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Wealth: abundance 
Keyword: Party: celebrate 
 

Zywa Prosit (To Your Benefit)

Cheers to
paradise
my dad
his dream

Cheers to
the hills
and the asylum
during the famine

Cheers to
my beautiful wife
our children and
the distant future

Your blessings
are mine
forever
amen

Poem 3753
Amsterdam, 2021-04-26

Abraham (Genesis 12:1-2,6-7,10,14-16, 13:14-17, 15:1-5,12-21, 17:1-27, 20:11-12)
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

A sacrifice: I

surrender and feel my blood --


is really flowing.


Een offer te zijn,Ein Opfer zu sein,
me overgeven, mijn bloed --mich ergeben, mein Blut fließt --
echt voelen stromen.wirklich, ich fühl es.

Poem H2742
Amsterdam, 2020-06-21

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Love: nourishes 
 

Zywa Dead my heart is still bleeding

Dead my heart is still bleeding
there in the burning sun
the knife, the shiny knife

in my hand and then
the gloss of his blood
for God's sake, what did I do

there on that mountain

I sold my soul to the devil
for prosperity, my nations numerous
as the stars, but not blessed

through my fault, through my grievous fault
my wife died of sorrow
I buried her in a cave

near our tents and the city
that is named after the covenant
my madness

forgive me God
forgive me Sara
forgive me my son

Poem 2930
Amsterdam, 2020-04-16

Abraham near Hebron ("Covenant") after the sacrifice on Mount Moriah
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Regret 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

The black hole swallows

starlings up and spews them out --


Sucking, pumping heart.


Het zwarte gat slurptSchwarzes Loch, Stare,
spreeuwen op en spuwt ze uit --verschlungen und ausgespuckt --
Zuigend, pompend hart.Herz das saugt und pumpt.

Poem H1117
Amsterdam, 2015-02-14

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Birds: starling 
 

Zywa The deed

It should have ended otherwise
With a supplement, a happy end
Now I can only imagine
that there is more than sacrifices
and smoke for God
for us the meat
because it's a holiday
and then we eat meat

Here I am
we said, God first
and then I
to my son
I made the sacrifice
I performed the deed
with my word
Here I am

No angel to be seen

Poem 827
Amsterdam, 2016-11-10

Here I am: "Hin(n)eni" in Genesis 22
22:1 God to Abraham
22:7 Abraham to Isaac
22:11 Abraham to the angel

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

I shout: it's nonsense!

and the echo answers me:


is nonsense sense?


Op de berg roep ik:Ich rufe: alles
er is niets! en de echo --ist Unsinn! und das Echo --
antwoordt: is niets iets?sagt: ist Unsinn Sinn?

Poem H0882
Amsterdam, 2014-03-16

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: belief 
Tribute to: Reve, Gerard 
 

Zywa Ibrim Abram

Dad is crazy, little brother too, to some extend
but the oldest and I are just normal
itinerants like grandpa Terach
from the stories, men

no paupers
like other ibrim

We don't need gods
we are not farmers, no musers
who want to become that
dreaming of land of their own

believing in the Force
of their desire

El Shaddai, Almighty God
dad calls it, little brother fought with it
and they made a deal: total respect
for the Force, land for them

Instead of using their brains
they believe, blindly

Poem 1724
Amsterdam, 2018-04-22

Ibrim = Habiru = Hebrews, "Itinerants" (Genesis 14:13 The Hebrew Abram, Ibrim Abram)
Esau, son of Abraham and Rebecca
Isma-El, oldest son of Abraham (and Hagar)
Jacob "Isra-El" = "God rules", thus: total respect

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: belief 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

A knife is flashing

in the night, in my hand, no!


in my dream, I hope.


Er licht een mes opEin Messer leuchtet
in de nacht, in mijn hand, nee! nachts, in meiner Hand, oh nein!
in mijn droom, hoop ik.im Traum, hoffe ich.

Poem H0035
Amsterdam, 2011-11-26

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Fear: fantasy 
 

Zywa The angel on the mountain

It was an exciting secret
people alluded to it
especially outside the family

but also guests dared to
mention it with all due respect
yes, if that hadn't happened then
there on that mountain...


But I couldn't tell it my children
I wanted to be a good father, saying
that their grandfather regretted his plan
and untied his son again

because because
an angel appeared
an angel of God

but I found that too complicated
so the second time I left the regret
only the angel remained

Poem 2932
Amsterdam, 2020-04-16

Jacob's story about his half brother Isaac
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Taboo 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Walking in full light,

yet unexpectedly touched --


by a shadow hand.


In het volle lichtAm helllichten Tag
toch onverhoeds aangeraakt --unerwartet berührt, von --
door een schaduwhand.einer Schattenhand.

Poem H0499
Train Groningen-Amsterdam, 2013-07-08

On the street
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Safety:  
 

Zywa Fight on the threshing floor

Grandpa was normal. Fertile semen
promptly a son by his second wife
But the next one kept him waiting

It drove Grandpa crazy, in his mind
he wrestled with God and His promise
of a large offspring

And when uncle Ike finally arrived
the little one was pampered too much
Ike became a softy

a little Abel, so different
from his big brother
He couldn't be suited

to God's inscrutable plan
he knew God so well
So he contrived a sacrifice

A man appeared
He had to be an angel
as God's disguise

and they fought over the knife
Grandpa won, Ike died, and
Grandma hasn't said a word since

Poem 5359
Amsterdam, 2023-11-06

Genesis 22:1-2,9-12 Abraham sacrifices his youngest son
2 Samuel 24:24 David buys one of the Moriah mountains, the later Temple Mount

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: promise 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

There it stands, asking:

please convince me of your plan --


My father's arm chair.


Vragend staat hij daar:Fragend steht er da:
overtuig me van jouw plan --erkläre mir deinen Plan --
Mijn vaders zetel.Mein Vaters Sessel.

Poem H0291-15
Amsterdam, 2012-03-28

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Parents: father(hood) 
 

Zywa There on that mountain

The deed was too horrible
no father would do such a thing
no god would ask such a thing

and if he should ask it
he wouldn't allow it
if he is the true god

The boy had to stay alive
happily ever after, the oldest
patriarch of all

With his half-brother Ishmael
he was given a place
between the great names

of his father and the twins
Esau and Jacob, the youngest half-brothers
who could pass for his sons

Furthermore, we don't know
anything about him, his short life
he was still a child

there on that mountain

Poem 2934
Amsterdam, 2020-04-16

Isaac
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Stories: (un)truth 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

On earth, stars twinkle

untouchably far away --


Close by they die out.


Op aarde stralenStars strahlen weit weg,
sterren ontastbaar ver weg --unberührbar, von nahem --
Dichtbij doven ze.verlöschen sie gleich.

Poem H0598
Amsterdam, 2013-10-03

Human stars
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Prestige 
 

Zywa Ordered stories

Narrators love attention
and leaders keep friendly with them
for the sake of the Great Story

rosy from beginning to end
No one has to grumble
for one day we'll be in luck

Don't be envious, be happy
that we are repeating the stories
you want to hear

Better not a murderer
better a fictive son
and a few doubles

Better a drunken father
than a son who fathers a child
with his mother and is proud of it

Better a phantom father
with an empty life
than a mad one

Better a lied future
than the complicated truth
and personal responsibility

Poem 5375
Amsterdam, 2023-11-09

Fictive son and a few doubles: Cain got Seth as a double (see poem 4531. Creator Seth), Enoch >> Enos, Irad >> Jared, Methushael >> Metusalem, Lamach >> Lamech, and then came the Flood, which cut off Cain's branch up to Lamach, and saved Seth's branch up to Lamech in Noah's Ark
Son: Ham; rape: Genesis 9:21-25 and Leviticus 18:7-8
Phantom father: Isaac's murder is covered up by transferring the fatherhood concerning Esau and Jacob's from Abraham to him, made easy by the fact that their mother Rebecca was much younger than Abraham (in order to have more sons than just Ishmael, he took Rebecca as his third wife; she came from Mesopotamia, which gave Esau and Jacob a higher status than Ishmael)
Empty life: no details are mentioned about Isaac

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Stories: (un)truth 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

I'm looking for ghosts,

I'd like to have a horror --


but they never dare.


Nachts zoek ik spoken, 's,Gibt es hier Geister?
ik wil wel eens griezelen --Ich will mich gruseln, aber --
maar ze durven nooit.sie wagen es nie.

Poem H0445
Amsterdam, 2013-05-06

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Fear: fantasy 
 

Zywa Fight on the Blue River

Father dreamed further than granddad
He dreamed high into heaven
But the thought of having to return
to the lowlands where he was not safe
from
his brother, drove him mad
No herd of gifts
would be large enough
to appease him
but
there was no alternative
He had to go there with his family
to show us, the grandchildren
to his parents
At night
he wrestled with God and His promises
A man appeared
He had to be an angel
as God's disguise
and they
fought whether he deserved
God's support to resist his brother
Father won, he took courage
despite the broken hip

Poem 5361
Amsterdam, 2023-11-06

Genesis 28:12-13 Jacob is dreaming
"Canaan" = "Lowlands"
Genesis 32:28 Byname "Isra-El" = "Who contends with God"

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: promise 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Stations on the way:

I haven't seen them before, yet --


they are familiar.


Stations onderweg:Die Stationen
ik heb ze nog nooit gezien --auf dem Weg kenne ich nicht --
toch ken ik ze wel.dennoch ist's vertraut.

Poem H1107
Amsterdam, 2015-01-23

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Journey: explore 
 

Zywa Siblings

No blood needs to flow
we may as well separate
and combat only in stories
who we are, brothers and sisters

with the common need
for a place of their own and with virtues
that are sometimes vices -
knowing better, thinking to

be better, willing
to sacrifice lives
in the absence of an angel
who stops us

and reading the discord
in the stories, concealing
that we are brothers and sisters
as if we are not

Poem 2164
Amsterdam, 2019-03-19

Isaac and Ishmael
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Together: connected 
 

The older you get,

the more past there is to share --


with fewer people.


Hoe ouder, hoe meerJe älter, desto
verleden om te delen --mehr Früher, und weniger --
met minder mensen.Menschen von damals.

Poem H0370
Amsterdam, 2012-10-22

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Old age: gloomy 
 

Zywa But what do they know about it?

They recorded four hundred
shekels of silver
our grave was precious
even before we were buried

because we are important
in the stories of our nations
but what do they know about it?

They conceal my daughters
call my sons by the name
of the countries around us

everything under the sky
they give a place
as if they were God

but their bones become brittle as well
dust like we in this cave
my wives and children

except the first one, my most loved
his ashes blew away
there on that mountain

Poem 2936
Amsterdam, 2020-04-18

Abraham's descendants
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Stories: (un)truth 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

We arrive at night:

walls, grey and rough, shivering --


we start getting dressed.


Avonds zijn we er, 's:Abends sind wir da:
grauwruwe muren, rillend --grau-raue Mauern, zitternd --
kleden we ons aan.ziehen wir uns an.

Poem H2744
Amsterdam, 2020-06-21

(Adam and Eve)
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Culture: way of living 
 

Zywa The trap in the nest

The temple stands solid as a bull
in the reeds, a High House
on the horizon, with a hall
where the elements come together
and the people can moor

to sing praises and shed
the prayer of honour and lease
upon the heavenly light
that gives life to the nest
in which I grew up

In the flowery bed-chamber
where the holy rests
the leaders sit on the dais
of the higher powers
to share in their prestige

They get tangled up
in the shackles of the gauze
of the sun's mantle
a trap
they cannot understand

Poem 3402
Amsterdam, 2021-01-26

Hymns to the temples (Enheduanna) (-2225)
Enheduanna = "High Priestess, Ornament of Heaven" (Ur, 2300-2225 BC)
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: 
 

On top of the spire

the vane's turning to the wind --


warning or advise?


Op de torenspitsAuf die Turmspitze
draait de vaan mee met de wind --dreht der Schwan nach dem Winde --
waarschuwing? advies?Warnung oder Rat?

Poem S0022
Julianadorp, 2011-12-29

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Balance: 
 

Zywa Open secrets

Dreams tell a truth
that you don't want to know yet, but
on a divan, you can speak freely

to an outsider
who understands you
and explains your secrets

that everyone can see
and many whisper
shame upon it

Wealth is wasted, and
anyone who makes a comment about it will be hit
with doublespeak and disappear as penalty

for his brutal lies, his slander
and high treason; even the worst plagues
do not bring insight and humility

But sometimes, from the blue
the sense is common enough
and dreams come true

Poem 3789
Amsterdam, 2021-05-04

Dictatorial repression
Doublespeak: after Newspeak en Doublethink in "1984" by George Orwell
Joseph explains dreams (Genesis 40-41)
Trader Yuya became counselor of the Pharaohs Thut-mosis IV (1397-1388) and Amen-hotep III (1388-1351). He was an immigrant in Egypt, living in Akhmim (Upper Egypt) at the Nile, downstream of the royal city. Given the spelling of his name, he was probably the same person as Joseph, who later was added as the eleventh son on the family tree of Jacob.

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Dreaming 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

I worry, whether

my life will keep going well --


so without worries.


Ik maak me zorgenSich Sorgen machen,
of het goed zal blijven gaan --ob es weiterhin gut läuft --
zo zonder zorgen.so ohne Sorge.

Poem S0215
Amsterdam, 2014-05-29

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Thinking (fret) 
 

Zywa The insight of an outsider

He was new here, young
no threat, he was allowed
to lend a hand

To survive, he had to be worth
himself and get to know
the people in this country

There was no path mapped out for him
Nobody expected something from him
Soon he started his own business

He became rich because of the stupidity
and the self-interest of the regents
He bought up surplus harvests

and built expensive barns
to safeguard the food
against rain and vermin

He was indispensable, an authority
strengthening the dynasty
His daughter became Queen

Poem 3785
Amsterdam, 2021-05-04

Joseph stores up food supplies (Genesis 41)
Trader Yuya became counselor of the Pharaohs Thut-mosis IV (1397-1388) and Amen-hotep III (1388-1351). He was an immigrant in Egypt, living in Akhmim (Upper Egypt) at the Nile, downstream of the royal city. Given the spelling of his name, he was probably the same person as Joseph, who later was added as the eleventh son on the family tree of Jacob.
• Yuya was married to Tuya (Anath), an Egyptian noblewoman. Their daughter Tiye (born 1398) became Queen in 1388, as the wife of Amen-hotep III, and their son Ay (born 1376) became pharaoh in 1323, as the husband of Ankh-es-en-amon

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Success 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

At home I know things,

here they go differently --


Who will I be now?


Thuis weet ik de weg,Zuhause weiß ich
maar hier gaat alles anders --Bescheid, hier läuft es anders --
Wie zal ik nu zijn?Wer werde ich sein?

Poem H0512
Amsterdam, 2013-07-18

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Identity: surroundings 
 

Zywa Silent arrival

It is a silent arrival
under the yoke of acquiescence
and politeness to find work
a house and a future

You look for each other
the familiar sound of the words
binds you together in the new country

like siblings, grown up
with the same habits
and the same stories

Some want to stay forever
others as long as necessary, they wait
employed by others

Time passes slowly
but one of them has success
Joseph, the undeniable symbol

of a divine plan -
the eleventh son, in hindsight
of course, the darling of the patriarch
who may have dreamed of him

Poem 3787
Amsterdam, 2021-05-04

Joseph is an afterthought (Genesis 37)
No Departure (Exodus) without Arrival
Trader Yuya was counselor of the Pharaohs Thut-mosis IV (1397-1388) and Amen-hotep III (1388-1351). He was an immigrant in Egypt, living in Akhmim (Upper Egypt) at the Nile, downstream of the royal city. Given the spelling of his name, he was probably the same person as Joseph, who later was added as the eleventh son on the family tree of Jacob.
• Yuya was married to Tuya (Anath), an Egyptian noblewoman. Their daughter Tiye (born 1398) became Queen in 1388, as the wife of Amen-hotep III, and their son Ay (born 1376) became pharaoh in 1323, as the husband of Ankh-es-en-amon.

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Success 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Pushing and pulling

at the wagon in the mud --


my son has great fun.


Duwen en trekkenSchieben und ziehen
aan de kar in de modder --an den Karren in dem Schlamm --
mijn zoontje heeft lol.mein Junge hat Spaß.

Poem H0197
Amsterdam, 2012-01-22

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Slow 
 

Zywa South Paradise

They have reached the South Paradise
the land of their dream
where life is good
But they are new ones

they don't know yet
of the gnats, the stable flies
and the high water over the fields
those long months

in which they'll be forced to drudge
cutting or baking stones
for the Great House
They know nothing

of the families in their huts
who died from measles and smallpox
nothing of the hunger
through hail and locusts

Everyone is welcome
within the invisible walls
on the fast legs
of armed horsemen

Poem 3501
Amsterdam, 2021-02-22

Pharaoh = "Great House"

Exodus 8-10
3rd plague: gnats
4th plague: stable flies (swarms, dog-flies, stable flies)
5th plague: cattle-plague (pestilence, bubonic plague)
6th plague: smallpox (festering boils)
7th plague: hail
8th plague: locusts

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Paradise 
 

Overgrowing graves,

overbridging time: ivy --


of all the stories.


Over de graven,Über die Gräber,
over de tijd heen: klimop --über die Zeit: der Efeu --
van de verhalen.aller Geschichten.

Poem H1001
Amsterdam, 2014-06-28

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Stories: 
 

Zywa The storytellers

The parents of the Great Leader
are always common people
or the offspring of a famous family

The storytellers know that
so they don't nag
about the facts

They took the story
of the greatest king
in history: Sargon

"the legitimate king"
even though he came floating by
anonymously, in a ark of bulrushes

That's a good beginning
especially if you add family
- not his grandfather Joseph

but Aaron and Miriam, the leaders
of the men and the women
longing for another land

Poem 3771
Amsterdam, 2021-05-01

Moses (Exodus 2:1-10)
Sargon was king of Akkad from 2334 to 2279 BC
Sargon = Šarru-K?num = the king is legitimate
Jacob >> Levi >> Amram >> Aaron, Mirjam "and Moses"
"Jakob" >> Joseph = Yuya, the Hebrew husband of Tuya, an Egyptian noblewoman >> Tiye, the wife of Pharaoh Amen-hotep III >> Crown Prince Thut-mosis = Moses

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Stories: 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

The lynx runs smoothly

through the field and grabs its prey --


simply in passing.


De lynx rent soepelDer Luchs rennt und greift
door het veld en grijpt haar prooi --geschmeidig das Beutetier --
in het voorbijgaan.im Vorbeigehen.

Poem H0159
Amsterdam, 2012-01-10

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Mastery 
 

Zywa Snake-charmer

Temple officials have the land
They made it great, but now they let it
fall, into pieces of their own; my friends
are way too expensive friends

Out of caution father gave me
away after my nursing years
to Egypt, the temple in the delta

and when the dynasty seemed lost
because the Ethiopians advanced
the priests thought they were smart
in appointing me as the army commander

But I took the sacred birds
with me in baskets, in the desert
they bit the vipers at our feet to death

We surprised the enemy in his sleep
hit him in its naked flanks
and have won; the temple
cobras arise again

Poem 2331
Amsterdam, 2019-07-02

Prince Djhut-mose / Thut-mose = son of Thoth (Djhut) = Moses, high priest in the temple of Ptah at Memphis in the Nile Delta
hwt k3 pth = home of the kaa (soul) of Ptah (the Maker)
hwt k3 pth -> hi-ku-ptah -> ai-gu-ptos -> Egypt

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

The weather is bleak,

there is a flu, the sun burns --


inside the people.


Het is koud en guur,Ein raues Wetter,
de mensen zijn grieperig --es gibt Grippe, die Sonne --
in hen brandt de zon.brennt in den Menschen.

Poem H0368
Den Hoorn (Texel), 2012-10-19

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Desire: 
 

Zywa The light shines in darkness

Expats, migrant workers, people
who are stuck and continue to dream
of a free life as shepherds and cattle lords
in their own land of grassy meadows
milk and honey (the old promise)

The young men long
for the beautiful girls
of the north
while they do the work here
in the delta, where they feel only at home

in the stories
of the ancient god who created the world
with thoughts from his heart, living
words from his mouth, the Potter
who molded man

stories
that knead their souls, giving some light
when it is dark in their hearts
full of old ashes, in which still glows
the fire of the Destroyer

Poem 2327
Amsterdam, 2019-07-01

Prince Djhut-mose / Thut-mose (the eldest son of Amen-hotep III) = "son of Thoth" (Djhut) = Moses (in Goshen, the eastern Nile Delta, where he is high priest, in the temple of Ptah at Memphis)
Ptah = Maker (of the world)
El Shaddai = God the Destroyer

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Freedom: 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

A very clear light

shines above the snow-white beach --


still nobody kneels.


Een helder licht straaltEin helles Licht scheint
boven het sneeuwwitte strand --über dem schneeweißen Strand --
toch knielt er niemand.dennoch kniet niemand.

Poem S0084
Train Amsterdam-Groningen, 2013-07-05

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: 
 

Zywa And the darkness has not understood

Goodbye little sister, you are the prettiest
No one will ever be more beautiful
You put on a brave face
You leave us the tears

Goodbye brother, I haven't been a high priest
since father abolished the gods
and now that he has been murdered
heaven rests

completely on you, as he wished
you'll be the king of the River
You'll make the Sun shine bright, like I
will make it shine on the coast

where I will bring back the people
of grandfather, goodbye dear Mum
You will lead the family
You are strong, you are the wisest

of us all, we children
of the Light that shines all over
the earth, and the darkness
has not understood

Poem 2326
Amsterdam, 2019-07-01

Prince Djhut-mose / Thut-mose = son of Thoth (Djhut) = Moses, the eldest son of Amen-hotep III (who introduced the Aton-cult), and with his youngest brother Echn-Aton and half-sister Nefertiti, he is a child of Tiye, the Hebrew wife of Amen-hotep III
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Goodbye: leaving 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

The sun reaches less

high than the purple herons --


that wave me goodbye.


De zon reikt minderDie Sonne reicht nicht
hoog dan de purperreigers --so hoch wie die Blaureiher --
die naar mij wuiven.die mir zuwinken.

Poem H0346
Amsterdam, 2012-08-15

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Birds: heron 
Keyword: Autumn 
 

Zywa Twilight of the gods

I stood on the edge
of the stage, watching it:
the royal drama occurred
for life and death
which also applied to me

Even as a baby I was taken
to a friendly temple
after father's desperate move
to break the insatiable power
of the priests

with a twilight of the gods
which ended their worship service
and declared it invalid, superceded
by a higher concept
of the divine

Father was right, almost completely
As a king he couldn't be a marionette
of the priests, but the sun
was too high, the Creator
was more earthy, older, a better choice

I could not protect Father
he is murdered, the conflict intensified
My youngest brother persevered
He couldn't help
but to be king or not to be

Poem 3801
Amsterdam, 2021-05-10

As a baby, Crown Prince Thut-mosis (Moses) is brought into safety in the Temple of Ptah at Memphis in the Nile Delta
• To break the power of the Amun priests, Pharaoh Amanen-Hotep III introduces the monotheistic worship of Aton (the sun, the abstract divine), but in 1351 BC he is killed

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Power: 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

My thoughts reach further

and further in the bright light --


of sensible words.


Steeds verder reikenMeine Gedanken
mijn gedachten in het lichtstrecken sich weiter im Licht --
van wijze woorden.von weisen Worten.

Poem H0709
Amsterdam, 2014-01-30

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Writing 
 

Zywa Their leader in me

There was no room for me
anymore, in this country
I was a threat

to power, fought for
by the priests and the king
against the priests, I was there

I watched it and I knew
the foreign workers wanted to leave
and the slaves were discontented

They gladly came to my temple
they believed in the Creatorgod
and sought their leader in me

Together we might have
a future, the freedom
to follow our belief, to convert

our hope into deeds
and then, just to see
what comes of it

Poem 3803
Amsterdam, 2021-05-10

The calling of Moses (Exodus 6)
Crown Prince Thut-mosis (Moses) was the high priest in the temple of Ptah (the Creator) at Memphis in the Nile Delta
• After the murder of their father, Echn-Aton continues the fight against the Amun priests as Pharaoh, and Moses decides to return to Canaan with the Hebrew guest workers and slaves

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Hope 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

At night I wake up,

Dad shouts and Mum is weeping --


I cry: I'm dreaming!


Nachts schrik ik wakker, 's:Nachts wache ich auf,
papa schreeuwt en mama huilt --Papa schreit und Mama weint --
ik roep dat ik droom.ich ruf: ich träume!

Poem S0092
Amsterdam, 2013-08-11

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Fear: bad dream 
 

Zywa Raid

Life is not too bad
compared to horror
In stories, it is fun
to get creeps, we storytellers know
it grubby well

Their oldest children died
There was famine, and they
got the most to eat
from the last stocks
with something fishy about them

of toxic fungi
That is not such an exciting story
as divine punishment or the revenge
of a bloody raid
in the night of the departure

Of course the leavers had
better things to do, in silence
not to run the risk
that someone would raise alarm
So hold your tongue and make no comments

Poem 3805
Amsterdam, 2021-05-10

The death of the firstborn (Exodus 11-12)
The Hebrew guest workers and slaves in the Nile Delta still had some fresh food during the famine, but the Egyptians who did not live among the fields were fully dependent on the grain that was contaminated in the barns by gnats, stable flies, and locusts, perhaps also with ergot

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Stories: 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Thoughts are free, they sing

it out loud, the prisoners --


of their own free thoughts.


Gedachten zijn vrij,Gedanken sind frei,
zingen de gevangenen --singen die Gefangenen --
van hun gedachten.ihrer Gedanken.

Poem S0407
Vaison-la-Romaine, 2016-10-09

The lyrics "Die Gedanken sind frei" have been published in 1780 and set to music for the first time in Bern, at the beginning of the 19th century, and included in the "Lieder der Brienzer Mädchen". Almost a century later, in 1898, Gustav Mahler set the text to music.
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Freedom: 
 

Zywa If they want a god of thunder and fire, they can have one

We left at the right time
the future was open
relatives welcomed us

They shared the loot
and everyone knew for sure
who led them: the Destroyer
from their smarting past

So I go up the mountain
and I stay away for a long time
to make something tangible
as a gift from their god

I tell them
that He has shown Himself to me
as a light, brighter than the sun
blinding to anyone who would look

the Supreme Being
of which I am the high priest
with a half-name in the service
of the half-believers whom I lead

because better to endure
than an open wound
is a half-truth

Poem 2310
Amsterdam, 2019-06-27

Prince Djhut-mose / Thut-mose = son of Thoth (Djhut) = Moses (in Hejaz, Edom, and at the Jordan river)
El Shaddai = God Destroyer

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Red-white lines along

the abyss, I do not dare --


to look ahead now.


Roodwitte lintenSeile den Abgrund
langs de afgrond, ik durf niet --entlang, ich wage es nicht --
vooruit te kijken.voraus zu sehen.

Poem S0021
Julianadorp, 2011-12-28

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Danger: abyss 
 

Zywa Freedom fighters

In years of hunger
we workers on the land
long for a good sign

to return
to a free existence
and it has come

Thunder and darkness
The high lords mock
That is what happens!

They let us go
without cattle, we laugh
in their face and stay

supposedly
We secretly pack
go through the villages at night

kill a child in every house
and point with the blood knives
at the gold and silver

as our wages for years
After a quick meal, we leave
a long caravan of wagons and cattle

We make it to the Sea of Reeds
before the army comes and
it begins to hail real stones

Doubters start to moan

Poem 2166
Amsterdam, 2019-03-20

Exodus led by Moses (1440 BC)
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Freedom: liberation 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

The sea is whitened,

the sand's blown up in the air --


secure from the flood.


De wind wit de zeeDer Wind weißt das Meer
en jaagt het zand de lucht in --und jagt den Sand in die Luft --
veilig voor de vloed.sicher für die Flut.

Poem H0365A
Texel (Hoornderslag, Paal 9), 2012-10-16

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Wind 
 

Zywa Ulu ulu

You have to do a liberation
and you must be lucky, like us
moving away under the sign, the plume
of smoke, a pillar of fire in the night
we got hopelessly stuck

between the army and the dividing sea
we became scared, didn't want to die
and walked on, the water was low
it almost fell dry – ahead, forward
to the other side

At dawn the chariots came
after us, down the steep bank
with horsemen and lancers, elated
to have caught up with us and eager
to murder and rape

but to our amazement the water took them
by surprise, a tidal wave, fast
and higher than ever, engulfed them
Mirjam took the drum
the women danced and sang

Ulu ulu ulu ulu
we live! we live!
we escaped!
after all these years
we did it!


Joseph's bones rattled for joy

Poem 2308
Amsterdam, 2019-06-26

Exodus
Genesis 50:28, Exodus 13:19,21, 14:11, 15:20

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Freedom: liberation 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

I was talking and

didn't take notice of the ball --


until it hit me.


Ik stond te pratenIch redete und
en lette niet op de bal --achtete nicht auf den Ball --
tot hij mij raakte.bis daß er mich schlug.

Poem H0004
Amsterdam, 2011-10-12

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Attention: surroundings 
 

Zywa The revolution

We should have educated the immigrants
have taught them our language
and forbidden theirs

Since the new Queen
it was dangerous, her relatives
at the court were creative

They wrote
in the language they have always spoken
as a lesson to their children
that this is not their country

They wrote their language in new characters
as an alphabet of independence
and they recorded their own stories
their desire for freedom

They could not be trusted
but we feared an uprising
if we would arrest the leaders

Aaron and Miriam, and Moses the traitor
and then the violence of their words
overthrew the order

Poem 3768
Amsterdam, 2021-04-30

The fatherhood of Manasseh and Ephraim is attributed at the Hebrew Yuya (Joseph) to disconnect his Egyptian position as the father of Tiye and Ay
Queen Tiye, 1398-1338, was married to Amen-hotep III (Pharaoh 1388-1351), who introduced the Aton-cult; their oldest son was (crown) prince and high priest Thut-mose (abbreviated: Moses)
Her brother Ay, the royal writer in the temple of Karnak, was undoubtedly one of the Hebrew members of the elite, who simplified the Egyptian hieroglyphs to be able to write in their own language; these new characters were the beginning of the alphabet; he became the last pharaoh of the 18th dynasty

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Freedom: 
 

I carefully touch

the sky, and the sun as well --


They are just water.


Voorzichtig raak ikIch berühre leicht
de hemel aan, en de zon --den Himmel, und die Sonne --
Ze zijn van water.Sie sind aus Wasser.

Poem H0247
Amsterdam, 2012-02-09

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Fantasy: imagination 
 

Zywa Master illusionist

Miracles are a miraculous belief
in a higher power, fed by the leaders
for the good of the people

There are still eyewitnesses here
ignorant of the truth
of other witnesses

honest people who also
survived the disaster
of the volcanic eruption

that buried Knossos and
destroyed the fleet, but
their voices do not reach far

outside the harbour towns
not into the country
where shepherds roam

and peasants kneel
sacrificing to the gods
of their grandparents and believing

in their own grand stories, clever
combinations of old events
and precious memories

half-truths, healed
by omitting parts, accrediting some
and by diverting attention

It is the tradition, sanctified
by the master illusionist
who the leaders collectively are

Poem 2296
Amsterdam, 2019-06-23

Moses, Aaron, Joshua
Eruption of the Thera on Santorini, c. 1600 BC

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Miracles 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

It's a long journey

before you can see the east --


as the Occident.


Het is ver reizenEine Weltreise,
voor je het oosten kunt zien --bevor man den Osten sieht --
als het avondland.als das Abendland.

Poem H0593
Amsterdam, 2013-10-01

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Journey: explore 
 

Zywa Walking hourglass

To graze the lifestock I move
from oasis to oasis, lugging

a huge hourglass, a tower
on wheels, and I count

grain after grain
until the time runs out, I count

down my despondency:
what shall I have achieved

as an old man? Only that I myself
am an hourglass in the desert

with grains of happiness: family
some friends and the beauty

of the starry sky, a cup
of clear water, a safe night

and sometimes the godsend
of a quail or some honey

Poem 2333
Amsterdam, 2019-07-03

Exodus (40 years in the desert)
Exodus en Numbers

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Life: course (on the way) 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

The tracks of the wheels

that came and then went again --


are almost rained out.


Sporen van wielen,Rillen von Rädern,
gekomen en weer gegaan --gekommen und gegangen --
bijna verregend.schon fast verregnet.

Poem H0266
Grossdietwil, 2012-02-18

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Time: temporality 
 

Zywa The caravans tell

This year's caravans tell
   that the Great Queen is buried
   with great honour, oh, mama
   without me

This year's caravans tell
   that the Sun King is ill
   his wife too, and people whisper

   that the gods are punishing them
   that they are just humans
   that everyone knows what comes

   of inbreeding, oh little brother
   oh my dear sister, hard
   is your destiny, the Sun is too high

   too far from our family, here as well
   in the middle country where I got
   stuck with the returnees

This year's caravans tell
   that the Sun has been bannished
   from the name of the king

   that he is pale and feverish, with a club
   foot and the backbone of a snake
   pushing itself forward with a stick

   My nephew – I don't know you, people say
   that you are as beautiful as Nefertiti was –
   I pray heaven to take pity on you

This year's caravans tell
   that the queen-widow only
   has her grandfather to marry her

   The king of the north doesn't answer
   her letter, her request for a man next to her
   on the throne that cannot be saved

Poem 2311
Amsterdam, 2019-06-27

1338 BC Queen Tiye dies; she is the mother of Moses (Thut-mosis)
1334 BC Sun King Echn-Aten, Moses' brother, dies
1330 BC Pharaoh Tut-ankh-Aten, Moses' nephew, changes his name to Tut-ankh-Amon; Nefertiti is their half-sister
1323 BC Ankh-es-en-Amon, the wife of Tuth-ankh-Amon and the grand-daughter of sister and brother Tiye and Ay, writes to King Šuppiluliuma I of Hatti: "My husband died and I have no sons. Allegedly you have many sons. You could give me one of your sons as a husband. I would not marry any of my subjects."

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Melancholy 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

I climb the mountain,

gasp and emit vapour clouds --


on top I whistle.


Ik beklim de berg,Die Bergbesteigung:
stoot hijgend stoomwolken uit --ich stoße Dampfwolken aus --
en boven fluit ik.oben pfeife ich.

Poem H0719
Amsterdam, 2014-01-31

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Will 
 

Zywa The Words (Do it)

Remember only the good, repeat it
day after day, all your life
Always make a new start, do it
thoroughly, forget old thoughts
get out of their way to save yourself

Kill them if there is no other way
Your sons, brothers and neighbours
kill them and leave them
for vultures and hyenas
It has to be that way

Not out of cruelty, not out of blood thirst
but because what they believe does not exist
so their lives don't matter
Your dagger does not judge them
but it executes the Words

Read them, read them aloud
Sow fear and obedience
Expecting
eternal punishment
is wisdom! insight!

Poem 2340
Amsterdam, 2019-07-04

Moses brings down the Ten Words from Mount Horeb, after which the people travel around Tabuk; there, Levites kill the unbelievers of the people (Exodus 32:25-28)
Syria (ar-Raqqa 2014)

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

The dog barks passers-

by away from the fencing --


It's a great success!


Blaffend jaagt de hondDer Hund jagt bellend
passanten weg van het hek --die Passanten vom Zaun weg --
Wat heeft hij succes!Mit großem Erfolg!

Poem S0097
Amsterdam, 2013-09-27

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Power: 
 

Zywa Turbans and daggers (believe, know not better)

Some twelve groups of clans
condemned to each other
but preferring to stay apart
crying for space, free
space that is not there

The leaders organise, they dress up
wise cousins with a turban
and with authority to speak
surrounded by the young nephews
who lend strength to the words

They recite law after law
repeat and maintain them
with a dagger in their belt
with ropes and sacks
for everyone's contribution

Everyone is equal before the law
so everyone has to participate
and believe, know no better
than to have the right
to the land

To kill someone
face to face is difficult
You must be blind
then you can do it
for the comrades next to you

Poem 3506
Amsterdam, 2021-03-23

Theocracy (a vergence of legislative, executive and judicial powers [Trias Politica])
The laws and rules in the books of Leviticus, Deuteronomy and part of Numbers together make up 40% of the Thoráh)
Thoráh = Teaching (instruction, law)

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: 
 

People just repeat

the stories from their childhood --


the children's stories.


Mensen herhalenMenschen sagen nach
de verhalen uit hun jeugd --was ihnen erzählt wurde --
kinderverhalen.Kindergeschichten.

Poem H0394
Amsterdam, 2012-11-30

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Stories: 
 

Zywa Tall as our stories

Those were hard times
Some went across the border
and found work there, a new life

Later they returned
with tall stories
and everyone wanted to believe

to have been there himself - in hindsight
a whole people seemed to have
come back from the desert

The grandchildren don't know better
than that they are special
with such ancestors and the blessing

upon them - wherever
the stories came from
now they are theirs

their very own history
once and for all
their assured future

Poem 3780
Amsterdam, 2021-05-03

It's everyone's Exodus
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Stories: 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Since father is dead,

we're closer to each other --


family indeed.


Sinds vader dood is,Vater starb, seitdem
zijn wij hechter met elkaar --sind wir uns näher, ja, doch --
toch een familie.eine Familie.

Poem H1565
Amsterdam, 2016-10-22

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Family: siblings 
 

Zywa One people

We wanted to go to the real paradise
out of the delusive dream
But we were loose

like the sand of the desert
and we couldn't go there
It was already occupied

We should have to fight
have to kill
people like us

So we are forged
into blood brothers, one people
of chosen under the eye

of a god with daggers
in the hands of his servants
under the paradise flag

that liberated us
from forced labour for the rich
who don't speak our language

We make detours
that walk over bodies
until we'll live there

Poem 3503
Amsterdam, 2021-02-22

Exodus 32:25-28
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Paradise 
 

The bald mountains are

cold and inhospitable --


wind strokes the groundhogs.


De kale bergenDie kahle Berge
zijn koud, onherbergzaam, wind --sind kalt und unwirtlich, Wind --
streelt de marmotten.streichelt Murmeltiere.

Poem H0230
De Cocksdorp, 2012-02-03

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Wind 
 

Zywa Great Grand

Great Grandgrandma, why
did you leave the waterland?
Wasn't there enough space

for your cattle, between the full fields?
What dreams did you have? Mine
are thin, like translucent down

My bed is hard, I drag
water and firewood
and the men can't help but

raid, unrest is boiling
in the blood of my sons
If only they come home unscathed

with a gram of gold for the danger
of the promise of the land
from which hunger drove you away

The shine of their swords
clotted, thick walls conquered
cities and kings, who knows

they were bushes, caves
and huts, village heads, the loot
some cattle and a few girls

No land of cows and tulips
where the grass is always green and sweet
the honey of the young years

when you lived in paradise

Poem 2348
Amsterdam, 2019-07-06

Thinking of Sarai, who departed from Ur on the Euphrates, via northern Mesopotamia to Goshen on the Nile, the three paradise regions for nomads)
Roaming across Edom, under the leadership of Joshua

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Future: wish 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

People celebrate

life, around a large table --


set with their stories.


Mensen vieren hetDie Menschen feiern
leven, de tafel gedekt --das Leben, an einem Tisch --
met hun verhalen.voller Geschichten.

Poem H2736
Amsterdam, 2020-06-19

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Together: social 
 

Zywa With stories we build a nation

With stories we build a nation
out of separate villages, we clench the years
together to a proof of divine power:

the crossing of the border river
the access town with trumpet blasts
destroyed forever, the country cleaned
from high to low, in one sweep
like a dinner plate

With stories I justify
myself and the past afterwards
plans for the future included

Daily, words bind us
together to a nation state
If we were silent, that would be the end
also if we would dare
to tell the truth

of the people who lived here before us

Poem 2349
Amsterdam, 2019-07-07

Entry into Palestine under Joshua ("Salvation")
Numbers 6,21,24,31, Deuteronomy 34, Joshua 10-11, 2 Kings 21:13
Israel since 1947

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Stories: connection 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

My words swarm around

throughout the web of people --


with all their echos.


In het mensenwebIm Web von Menschen
waaieren mijn woorden uit --schwermen meine Worte aus --
met al hun echo's.mit ihren Echos.

Poem H0474
Amsterdam, 2013-06-21

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Together: connected 
 

Zywa The Promised Land

It is a fact, not a favour, to be born
outside a ghetto, wasteland or slum town:

no one should reprove me
for not having cultivated the field myself
not having paved the roads and eating fruit
from trees that I have not planted

It is a fact, no a fault, to be born
inside a ghetto, wasteland or slum town:

no one should reprove me
for having come here
on roads that I haven't paved
to work in other people's fields

and to eat the fruit
of trees that I have not planted

Poem 1992
Amsterdam, 2018-12-15

Joshua 24:13
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Foreigners: guest 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Dilapidated:

my house, I'm sorry to hear --


the cracks moan and sigh.


Mijn huis, verwaarloosd.Mein Haus, verfallen.
Vol spijt hoor ik de scheuren --Es tut mir leid, ich höre --
kreunen en zuchten.die Risse seufzen.

Poem S0041
Amsterdam, 2012-02-09

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Regret 
 

Zywa House of the Sun

They have seen too much:
the chest, the outside
of the secret, because a secret

has no outside
only by definition
a concealed content

Even though it didn't interest them
even though they didn't look at it
but were dancing, it is too much

If nothing would be done
it will end in stories
about a chest and nothing

that was palpable, no Force
that creates and destroys and
no sacred silence

So the priests do have to
surprise the witnesses in their sleep
in the dead of night

with a a hand on their mouth
and a quick slit in their throat
everywhere in the field

red spots of providence

Poem 1740
Amsterdam, 2018-04-30

1000 BC, Beth Shemesh (1 Samuel 6:19)
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: holiness 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

The words are rigid,

it's cold and the walls are bare --


soft is the sunlight.


De strenge woorden,Die strengen Wörter,
de kou, de kale muren --Kälte und kahlen Wände --
het zachte zonlicht.mildes Sonnenlicht.

Poem S0003
Amsterdam, 2011-11-18

Church
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: commandments 
 

Zywa The prophet

Once again God has compassion
with the people, and with all their cattle

Here I stand, the prophet
of the doom that doesn't come

the prophet of a god who doesn't want
to be defined

by unbelievers
their fault and punishment

Cain, Sodom, Nineveh
the itinerant men

with women who desire
a home with a garden

Their fault, their fault
the most grievous fault

of their judgment, the crosses
of their actions and their looking away

A fault which you cannot sell
for some money, nor for a truth

with a salvation and comfort
for those with whom God is pleased

Poem 1721
Amsterdam, 2018-04-21

Jonah, 8th century BC
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Ethics: karma 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

False admonitions:

Listen! Work hard! Play later! --


The good ones obey.


Valse adviezen:Falsche Mahnungen:
Luister! Werk hard! Speel later! --Arbeite hart! Spiel später! --
De braven doet het.Die Braven hören.

Poem S0943
Amsterdam, 2019-10-08

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Education 
 

Zywa Listening to rigid men

They are rigid men who believe
that the past is important
They get little gifts
to sacrifice at the feasts
and to tell stories

which they dress up
for the people who pay
That's how it goes

What is common, must be special
what is powerful, almighty
what is good or bad luck, providence
They don't like unpredictable hazards
so they bundle the forces

of fate to one great Force
so incomprehensibly great
that there is no name for it

A name is just a name
too small, and too tempting
to call it
and to believe in a callable Force
instead of listening

In an inverted world
people boldly give names
to the Nameless

Poem 1789
Amsterdam, 2018-06-18

God is nameless and the names of Joshua and Jesus are not known anymore; they are referred to with their title: Salvation
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Stories: connection 
 

Everything blossoms

in light and heat, attention --


is just like sunshine.


In licht en warmteAlles blüht in Licht
bloeit alles op, je aandacht --und Wärme, die Beachtung --
is als zonneschijn.ist wie Sonnenschein.

Poem H2930
Amsterdam, 2021-04-03

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Attention: sun 
 

Zywa Red heart line

Prosperity with obedience:
is that the plan for man?
A family following the father
like the fathers their father?

Or is it a covenant
of uncircumcised love?
One heart, living
flesh and blood?

One heart, one blood
of man and woman
that draws a red line
not to be trespassed

Let's come together
in one heart!
Let's celebrate life
in one song!

Poem 1680
Amsterdam, 2018-02-15

One Love (Bob Marley) (1977)
Jeremiah 9:25-26, Ezekiel 11:19-20, Hosea 6:6
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Together: connected 
Keyword: Bible^ 
Tribute to: Marley, Bob 
 

Listen to my heart,

I'm afraid it is broken --


Are you hearing this?


Luister naar mijn hart,Bitte, hör mein Herz,
het is een gebroken hart --leider ist es gebrochen --
Kun je dat horen?Kannst du das hören?

Poem S0093
Amsterdam, 2013-08-11

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Sadness: 
 

Zywa Hell

There are two Hells
outside the walls
yonder at the source

Children went through fire
for their parents there, knowing and afraid
not to be able to make it to the end

sacrificed as the most precious
that a person can give
to his kinglike god

And on the field of blood at the narrowness
the insurgents fought
themselves to death for their new king

clinging
to the first rays of the sun
while the light in their eyes was fading

and their blood embittered
the water from the spring
for everyone who knew

Poem 1726
Amsterdam, 2018-04-23

MLK = Moloch = King, the god (Lev. 18:21, 20:1,3,4, 2 Kings 17:17, 23:10, Jeremiah 32:35)
MLK = Malchus = King, the king of the Jews (John 18:10)
Valley of Hinnom = Ge-Hinnom = Gehenna = Hell (Matthew 5:21-23), from the source Ein Rogel to the west; in this valley was the Tophet (from Tephet = fire stack), where children were sacrificed
The Field of Blood (Matthew 27:8) is the western slope of red clay in the valley of the Kidron, north of the source Ein Rogel

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: cruelty 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

I pray and open

my soul very wide and deep --


Deep enough for God?


Ik bid en openIch bete, öffne
mijn ziel heel wijd en heel diep --meine Seele weit und tief --
Diep genoeg voor God?Tief genug für Gott?

Poem H2626
Amsterdam, 2019-11-17

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: prayer 
 

Zywa Waiting for the hereafter

The old failure is dragged up
by a fanatic who wants to try
again, in glowing words

he tells the dream
as a promise, a duty
yes, that is our culture

to live worry-free and worry
telling stories
like in the blank ages

without prophets who want to
be consistent and threatening
with hell and damnation

sell a sacred promise
of peace and health
for compliance

What we think we have
we would lose
if we don't give it up

Then rather give us a king
or a general, rather anything
then wait for the hereafter

Poem 3509
Amsterdam, 2021-02-24

Samson (situated in 1100 BC)
Maqabees 167-164 (Maqqaba = Hammer)

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: 
 

A mark on the bark:

too bad, such a healthy tree --


is production wood.


Een stip op de bast:Kreuz auf der Rinde:
zonde, een gezonde boom --schade, ein gesunder Baum --
is productiehout.ist Produktionsholz.

Poem S0710
Amsterdam, 2018-05-14

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Consume 
 

Zywa The way

Funnily enough there are rules
Really, people are funny
not reasonable and unreasonable

enough to think
that laws are necessary (don't steal
don't kill, fulfill contracts)

while it is so simple:
we live and we do
not live alone, so

what you do not want
to undergo, don't do that
to anyone else

That is the way
of the truthful, the unrecorded
truth and the unrecorded

life
It is all
the only

prayer, your security
and duty, the only rule
of love and reason

Poem 1874
Amsterdam, 2018-10-18

Tobit 4:16 (c. 200 BC)
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Neighbours: love 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

My parents are home,

they are always home, with me --


beating in my heart.


Mijn ouders zijn thuis,Meine Eltern sind
altijd zijn ze thuis, bij mij --immer zu Hause, mit mir --
kloppend in mijn hart.in meinem Herzen.

Poem H0115
Julianadorp, 2011-12-25

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Parents: parenthood 
 

Zywa The House

I inhale the old scent, the holiness
of incense and curtains, mysteriously
soft candlelight and behind it the promise

of strength, miracles and happiness

Brick by brick, canvas by canvas
we restored the House, for eight days
it continued to burn, the oil

of strength, miracles and happiness

This is what we fought for
have been defeated for, year after year
this is what we won for, with seven arms

of strength, miracles and happiness

Poem 2350
Amsterdam, 2019-07-07

Maccabees (Jerusalem in 164 vC)
1 Macc. 6:51-52, 4:36
Hannukah = "Dedication"

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Tradition 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

The planet is full,

let's get out of here, follow --


me to paradise!


De aarde is vol,Die Erde ist voll,
we moeten hier weg, volg me --wir müssen hier raus, folge --
naar het paradijs!mir ins Paradies!

Poem S1082
Amsterdam, 2020-11-15

Ideology
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Paradise 
 

Zywa Hand washing [1]

We want our own rules
without envious eyes on unbelievers
We want more than just
a safe life

We demand the right
to live apart
and we press our demands
because we have not yet succeeded

We pray with ritual
and the sacred duty
not to forsake
revelation

With each repetition
the words become true
become harder, more solid
become untouchable

by our doubts
They wash everything off us
We have a clear conscience
and we make a clean sweep

Poem 5366
Amsterdam, 2023-11-07

The apartheid of orthodox believers - Jewish, Christian, Islamic, or Hindu
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Religion: commandments 
 

Safety: high walls all

around and a large bell jar --


with firing angels.


Veiligheid: murenSicherheit: Mauern
rondom en een grote stolp --ringsum und eine Glocke --
met vuurengelen.mit Feuerengeln.

Poem S1989
Amsterdam, 2023-11-06

Israel's air defense system "Kipat barzel" ("Iron Dome"), operational since 2011
Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Safety: protection 
 

Zywa Hand washing [2]

For centuries we lived with our cattle
between the cities, but now...
Who are we in this foreign land?
Who are we as unfree workers?

We want to go back and tell ourselves
in increasingly fantastic stories
that we belong together, stories
about a common past

That some of our ancestors
have been away once before
for 40 years, and exaggerated
their return with victories

as if they were thousands
having murdered even
greater numbers of people -
what they were proud of?

Oh, that country
we are homesick for
Should we actually
conquer it, should we

actually wash our hands
in the innocence of the old stories
and self-defense, do we want that?
Do we really want that?

Poem 5373
Amsterdam, 2023-11-09

Palestinians and Israelis
Deportation: to Assyria
Joshua 8-13 Under the leadership of Joshua ("Salvation"), the Israelites conquer Canaan, eastern Jordan and southern Lebanon, - but not the coastal area of the Philistines: 'Palestine' (Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron), - capturing the cattle and killing the people
See also: the poems 2449. With stories we build a nation, and: 1992. The Promised Land (Joshua 24:13 "And I have given you a land for which you did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.")

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Fear: insecurity 
Keyword: Palestina% 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Zywa Fight in the Lowlands

We have remained ourselves
from generation to generation
we live and lived with others
mutually apart

until we have to leave, in the end
there is still no place
where we are not strangers
where there are no strangers

For centuries, we have doubts
about our fate, wrestling
with The Name, we fight
for a safe home

We seek peace on The Mount
We drive out the new Philistines
who seek our lives
from the Lowlands

They die by the thousands
when their buildings collapse
No pillar remains standing
because only the land, this land

the whole land, the whole city
the whole mountain, everything
from the river to the sea
can ease our doubts

Poem 5363
Amsterdam, 2023-11-06

The Name: "HaShem", the indication of God
Wrestling: after the byname "Isra-El" = "Who contends with God" (Genesis 32:28)
The Mount: Moriah and Zion, the centre of Jerusalem
Lowlands: "Canaan", with the Gaza Strip, where the Philistines used to live
Pillar: Samson destroys a temple in Gaza (Book of Judges 16:26-30)
From the river to the sea: Palestinian slogan, which also characterises the policy of the State of Israel

Collection: From Sacred Scriptures [1] 
Keyword: Safety: home 
Keyword: Palestina% 
Keyword: Bible^ 
 

Zywa
     Collection:   From Sacred Scriptures [1]
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