Just a dancing girl,

yet in all boys eyes she is --


eagerly devoured.


Een dansend meisje:Tanzendes Mädchen:
in alle jongensogen --in alle Jungenaugen --
gretig verslonden.hungrig verschlungen.

Poem H1562
Amsterdam, 2016-10-14

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Desire: lust 
 

They're waving to me:

children in the express train --


which I just have missed.


Ze zwaaien naar mij:Sie winken zu mir:
kinderen in de sneltrein --die Kinder in dem Schnellzug --
die ik gemist heb.den ich verfehlte.

Poem H0116
Julianadorp, 2011-12-25

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Together: society 
 

Zywa Viaduct

Among the children
on their toes, leaning
forward on the wall
(never a daredevil
to climb on top of it)
I am shaking again
from a freight train

At first my parents sent
someone with me when
I, straight after school
and at the weekend
(far too often, they thought)
spend hours looking
from this bridge near the station

I recognise the old and new
models blindly, by their sound
the vibration of the viaduct
the Doppler effect, and their smell
no matter how hard the wind blows
From here you can go out
into the wide world

Poem 4793
Amsterdam, 2022-11-09

Small Town Station (Edward Hopper) (1920)
Painting
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Attention: observe 
Keyword: Journey: in the spirit 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
 

Zywa Demon

The yellow glow scares me
Already this afternoon, when things got blurry
yet I seemed to be awake for a second
from the pain in my belly

It shouldn't be, I don't want it
My belly must be safe
for the baby, hopefully
it will soon be over

here, in my own bed
oh, what is happening?
I gotta get out, close the curtain
against that dreadful moon

All is well, the doctor said
but I couldn't get up
and not thank him
I just lay there

Guy smiled and the doctor shove
something into me, not as nice and sweet
as I am used to with Guy
not even in my wildest dreams

Poem 4801
Amsterdam, 2022-11-11

Moonlight Interior (Edward Hopper) (1923)
Painting
"Rosemary's Baby" (book 1967, Ira Levin; film 1968, Roman Polanski)
Faust-legend (1587, Johann Spies)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Angel / Devil 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
Tribute to: Levin, Ira 
 

A swelling clamour,

I hear it with my dream-ears --


they're never asleep.


Een rumoer zwelt aan,Ein Geräusch schwillt an,
mijn droomoren horen het --meine Traumohren lauschen --
want ze slapen nooit.denn sie schlafen nie.

Poem H0291-11
Amsterdam, 2012-03-23

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Senses 
 

Hand in hand we sit

together in the garden --


of our affection.


Hand in hand zittenHand in Hand sitzen
wij te praten in de tuin --wir zusammen im Garten --
van onze liefde.unserer Liebe.

Poem H0025
Amsterdam, 2011-11-25

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Love: Give To Be 
 

Zywa Present

Not dinner time yet, on bed
I am drawing you, your back
the book and the red candle
the almost empty mirror image

We've seen enough
of the city today and no longer
immediately jump on each other
even though we're on vacation

I love you equally profound -
looking, drawing and feeling
how absently totally present
you are, your bare shoulder

which I caress with my eyes
your full attention
for the story and for me
as soon as you put the book down

It's something from years
elusively there
even if we don't pay attention to it
or if it's absent for a while

Poem 4807
Amsterdam, 2022-11-12

Interior (Model Reading) (Edward Hopper) (1925)
Painting; hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Angel / Devil 
Dedicated to: Dory dK 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
 

The little mermaid:

on her tail, she got buttocks --


from all the sitting.


Kleine zeemeermin:Kleine Meerjungfrau:
ze heeft billen gekregen --sie bekam Gesäßbacken --
van al het zitten.von all den Sitzen.

Poem S0020
Julianadorp, 2011-12-25

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Evolution 
 

The pollard-willow

with its thick and gnarled old head


freezes me -- away.


De oude knotwilgDie alte Weide
met zijn knoestig dikke kop:mit ihrem knorrigen Kopf:
boos kijkt hij -- mij weg.sie grault mich hinweg.

Poem H0292
Amsterdam, 2012-06-26

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Anger / Rage 
 

I'm trying so hard,

though nobody seems to see --


my shoes shine and pinch.


Ik doe zo mijn best,Ich strenge mich an,
al ziet niemand mijn schoenen --doch wer sieht meine Schuhe --
blinken en knellen.blinken und drücken?

Poem S0063
Amsterdam, 2012-05-23

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Ambition 
 

The bride: a present

in tulle, the veil that reveals --


her love all the more.


De bruid: een geschenkDie Braut: ein Geschenk
in tule, die des te meer --in Tüll, der umso besser --
haar liefde onthult.ihre Liebe zeigt.

Poem H0294
Amsterdam, 2012-06-27

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Marriage / Wedding 
 

Zywa Canopy bed

I wander along the stores
which make the pitch dark less scary
although you never know who may pop up

and that would not be Prince Charming
who can break through his spell
with my love, so that instantly
the shop window is a marriage bed
with sky blue curtains

and we get an enema because
of the spurning the chewable tablets
to let go of the past
and to seal our future
only dressed in a crown

with the red plug in his butt
and the green one in mine
The girls from my work
escort us to the bed
which we mount under applause

Their hands lay us down
and rub us up
for the grand finale

Poem 4795
Amsterdam, 2022-11-09

Drug Store (Edward Hopper) (1927)
Painting
Laxative "Ex-Lax" (chewable tablets)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Love: romance 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
 

Covered by the night

I visit you secretly --


That is the rumour.


Beschut door de nachtGeschützt von der Nacht
kom ik heimelijk bij je --komme ich heimlich zu dir --
zo gaat het gerucht.so sagt das Gerücht.

Poem S0083
Amsterdam, 2013-06-27

In response to "Stoner" (1965, John Williams)
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Together: society 
Tribute to: Williams, John 
 

Zywa Across the street

She bends over, her buttocks on show
while she puts her shoes away
She never looks through the window

I never can make contact with her
across the street and expose
me and my desire

It is hot, it's blowing so hot
through the city that I would leave
space in between us, caress her

only lightly, not lie against her
and first put out the light
or close the curtains, with a chink

by the window, happy to lie
awake from the heat, next to her
close to her body

Poem 4605
Amsterdam, 2022-08-08

Night windows (Edward Hopper) (1928)
Painting
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Desire: wish-dream 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
 

Fairy-beautiful

is the house under the snow --


No imperfections.


Sprookjesachtig mooiMärchenhaft, so schön
is het huis onder de sneeuw --ist das Haus unter dem Schnee --
Geen gebrek te zien.Gar keinen Mangel.

Poem H0340
Amsterdam, 2012-08-08

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Beauty: surroundings 
 

Zywa Dream Super Woman

I imagine how I am sitting here
seen from the bridge, with the dark room
behind me, from which the hand
of a ghost could loom for a moment

to give me, out of sight, a push
so that I'll be smashed, like dictators
have it done to opponents
I sometimes dream of it

that I eliminate them and their successors
to take away the repression, I
as an unknown super woman
of humanity

It should happen on a large scale
all in one fell swoop, finally an omnipotence
that nobody can escape
Yes, if that, yes if, if

Poem 4783
Amsterdam, 2022-11-07

From Williamsburg Bridge (Edward Hopper) (1928)
Painting
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Religion: allmightiness 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
 

I'm nipping jasmine

from a translucent teacup --


with cracks on all sides.


Ik nip jasmijntheeIch nippe Grüntee,
uit een doorschijnend kopje --die Tasse ist durchsichtig --
bijna gebarsten.mit vielen Rissen.

Poem H0538
Amsterdam, 2013-08-11

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Prosperity 
 

The air roars and shakes:

Move, move! I hide myself, half --


behind the window.


De lucht dreunt en trilt:Die Luft dröhnt und bebt:
Wegwezen! Ik verschuil me --Los, weg! Ich verstecke mich --
half achter het raam.halb hinterm Fenster.

Poem H0283
Amsterdam, 2012-03-03

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Curiosity: new / news 
 

In between the ships

I'm swimming over to you:


your side becomes mine.


Tussen de schepenZwischen den Schiffen
door zwem ik over naar jou:schwimme ich zu dir: deine --
jouw kant wordt mijn kant.Seite wird meine.

Poem H0869
Amsterdam, 2014-03-13

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: In love:  
 

Zywa Your street

It's still early, no customers
nobody on the way to work
everything like yesterday
the fire hydrant always ready
and night rounds against theft

Here you do your shopping
here you go to the barber
here your friends live
this is your view, your street
your neighborhood, your home

where you can sleep quietly
without scary dreams
life is very good
in order here, with neighbours
who know you all

I would die here
or go crazy, unless
I was living with you -
nothing else to do
than being with you every night

Poem 4777
Amsterdam, 2022-11-06

Early Sunday Morning (Edward Hopper) (1930)
Painting
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Life: environment 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
 

Salt biting my skin,

tides rinsing me out, the sea --


pulling me along.


Zout bijt in mijn huid,Salz beißt meine Haut,
getijden spoelen me uit --Gezeiten spülen mich aus --
de zee trekt me mee.das Meer zieht mich mit.

Poem H1239
Amsterdam, 2015-07-27

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Sea 
 

Zywa Set piece

On the photo you don't see
that the water stands still
and you can think

that the sea has almost taken
the land and the house
will soon drift away

A person just has to take
other points of view
to find out something

and to keep living in the world
not in appearances, not in set
pieces of one's own fantasy

empty, unless actors populate them
of whom you no longer know after a while
whether they are acquaintances of you

but your own images nestle
in your head, they fit exactly
whereas the world is uncomfortable

Poem 4816
Amsterdam, 2022-11-14

House By An Inlet (Edward Hopper) (1930)
Painting
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Perception: critical 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
 

I'm away from home,

from the people I know, far --


away from a kiss.


Ik ben ver van huis,Weit von zu Hause,
van de mensen die ik ken --den Leuten, die ich kenne --
ver weg van een kus.weit von einem Kuss.

Poem H0173
Amsterdam, 2012-01-15

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Missing:  
 

Zywa Love alone

Hours alone, living small
in a hotel room
without dying

going crazy or
staying behind
alone forever

like hell and purgatory
in the evening
on the stage

I do miss my children here
beside me on the bed, my love
my life without drama

without the decisive end
from which the audience wants to learn
to understand what life is

Poem 1473
Amsterdam, 2017-08-02

Hotel room (Edward Hopper) (1931)
Painting
Film "Shirley: visions of reality (2013, Gustav Deutsch)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Missing: absence 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
Tribute to: Deutsch, Gustav 
 

I embrace my buck,

snorting fiercely, with his horns --


entangled in shrubs.


Ik omhels mijn bok,Mein lieber Bock schnaubt
die briest en driest zijn horenszornig, mit seinen Hörnern --
verstrikt in de struik.verstrickt im Gebüsch.

Poem H0176
Train Nijmegen-Amsterdam, 2012-01-15

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Love: Give To Be 
 

Zywa Slowly the night falls

My dear, my dear
and I are bored
he is surfing

the internet and I practise
not to disturb him
fingerings in the air

I will go away, move
and he? frets himself
looking for a way out

slowly the night falls
silently I close the piano
if only I could help him

foot by foot four passes
to behind his chair, gently
I touch him, caress

an arm, he puts the screen away
and leans back, lets me
wrap my arms around him

quietly he lays his hands on mine
if only he had tears, words
if need be, passionate kisses

Poem 1203
Amsterdam, 2017-03-12

Room in New York (Edward Hopper) (1932)
Painting
Film "Shirley: visions of reality (2013, Gustav Deutsch)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Love: change / end 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
Tribute to: Deutsch, Gustav 
 

Smoke plumes everywhere,

curling up from the chimneys:


comfort, a hot meal.


Overal pluimenÜberall Fahnen
van rook uit de schoorstenen:von Rauch aus den Schornsteinen:
comfort, warm eten.Komfort und Essen.

Poem H0288
Amsterdam, 2012-03-03

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Safety: security / comfort 
 

We live in over-

growth, of constructions and plants --


over each other.


Overwoekering:Überwucherung:
van bebouwing en planten --von Bebauung und Pflanzen --
over elkaar heen.übereinander.

Poem H0302
Train Amsterdam-Terborg, 2012-06-30

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Culture: way of living 
 

Zywa My lives

A little hill in the landscape
these slate roofs of the farm
under the high back and the round buttock
along the Old Country Road

Do you have to be an urbanite like me
to make the chimney smoke
and merge the images
into my own naked body

on a sheepskin in front of the fireplace
waiting for the caresses of my husband
or a lover - is that just holiday romance
or does it really happen here?

I experience it in passing -
an invisible participation
in other people's life, expressed
in my dos and don'ts

Poem 4805
Amsterdam, 2022-11-12

Burly Cobb's House, South Truro (Edward Hopper) (1933)
Painting
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Together: connected 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
 

Is my hair still good?

Are my eyes really alive?


Who am I today?


Zit mijn haar nog goed?Na, ist mein Haar gut?
Zijn mijn ogen levendig?Leben meine Augen wirklich?
Wie ben ik vandaag?Wer bin ich heute?

Poem H1573
Amsterdam, 2016-10-26

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Life: energy 
 

Zywa La grande bellezza

The movie palace is charity
for fans and old people
helping them pass the time
I watch and I learn
the lines from Mama Capra

about the great beauty
of the dream of the senses
Giulietta is sent away
from the market, with her
homemade goat cheeses

At home in her little paradise
the former bed of the brook
now my daydream in the corner
at the entrance of the hall
bees are buzzing around

Would I rather play?
See myself?
In a hundred roles larger than life?

Poem 1112
Amsterdam, 2017-03-03

New York Movie (Edward Hopper) (1939)
Painting
Film "Shirley: visions of reality (2013, Gustav Deutsch)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Beauty: surroundings 
Keyword: Paradise 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
Tribute to: Deutsch, Gustav 
 

The dogs run around

the ball and the barbecues:


too much happiness!


Honden rennen rondHunde um den Ball
de bal en de barbecues:und um die Grillen herum:
veel te veel geluk!es gibt zu viel Glück!

Poem S0088
Amsterdam, 2013-07-31

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Happiness (fulfilment) 
 

One scream and a flock

of seagulls flies in, squawking --


what news there might be.


Eén schreeuw en een zwermEin Schrei und ein Schwarm
meeuwen komt krijsend kijken --Möwen kommt, um zu sehen --
wat voor nieuws er is.was Neues es gibt.

Poem H0607
Amsterdam, 2013-10-06

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Curiosity: new / news 
 

Zywa Storm coming

We've said nothing for a while
it's quiet, the sail is tight
Swell, nothing wrong
a clear day, light blue
as far I can see

And yet we all stare
at the bell buoy, alarmingly
the sound flies away
No birds, cirrus clouds
Storm coming

The war seems to be far away
There are vague tidings
about mobilization
Will it be everyone for themselves
or is there a winning plan?

Poem 4775
Amsterdam, 2022-11-06

Ground Swell (Edward Hopper) (1939)
Painting
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Future: understand 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
 

Splashing, dashing waves

in the shoaled harbour: a ship --


it is sailing pastt.


Opslaande golvenWellen schlagen auf
in de verzande haven:im versandeten Hafen --
een schip vaart voorbij.ein Schiff fährt vorbei.

Poem H0291-38
Amsterdam, 2012-04-23

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Calm: standstill 
 

Zywa The cave

The window is up
trains thundering along
blow fresher air inside

Time would stand still here
if there was no light driving across the room
we go

I put away the folders
pull down the window
and the blinds

Peter is thinking
without saying a word
he turns off the light

and closes up
See you
tomorrow

Poem 1200
Amsterdam, 2017-03-12

Office at night (Edward Hopper) (1940)
Painting
Film "Shirley: visions of reality (2013, Gustav Deutsch)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Time 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
Tribute to: Deutsch, Gustav 
 

Night sky, trees above

silent watering places --


on the motorway.


Nachthemel, bomenNachthimmel, Bäume
hoog boven de drenkplaatsen --hoch über den Trinkplätzen --
aan de autoweg.auf der Autobahn.

Poem H3312
Amsterdam, 2022-05-30

At the photo of petrol station Hendriksbos on the A28 (near Nunspeet), made by Sander van Wettum
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: On the way 
Tribute to: Van Wettum, Sander 
 

Zywa The network

To have something to do
the attendant brushes up the pumps
In the forest it is already dark

Here it remains light, open
if you wait a few minutes
until he is out of bed

But that is no longer the case at night
The villagers refuel during the day
and long-distance traffic drives past

The economy keeps moving
The country, everyone, lives thanks
to the network (the concrete one)

and it may take some time
before it will be automated
Then occasionally someone will come

to spray the pumps clean
the fly spots will remain
and waxing will no longer be done

Poem 4789
Amsterdam, 2022-11-08

Gas (Edward Hopper) (1940)
Painting
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Economy 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
 

Sheep in the city:

the world is bigger at night --


without the people.


Schapen in de stad:Schafe in der Stadt:
's nachts is de wereld groter --nachts ist die Welt viel größer --
zonder de mensen.ohne die Menschen.

Poem H0291-49
Amsterdam, 2012-06-19

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: World(view) 
 

The evening sun pours

a dayful of deep colours --


into the fish pond.


De avondzon gietDie Abendsonne
een dagvol diepe kleuren --gießt eine Tagvoll Farben --
uit in de vijver.aus in den Weiher.

Poem H0854
Amsterdam, 2014-03-08

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Evening 
 

Zywa Outside there's a thunderstorm

In an armchair at the hotel reception
I am practising my lines
outside there's a thunderstorm
the rain rattles each time
the doors open

Repeating sentences
in between, watching
the public theatre
of the beautiful outside
of the elderly couple

sipping a drink
and waiting impatiently for a taxi
talking about friends and acquaintances
in whom they recognize the inner sides
of the characters from the play

Poem 1472
Amsterdam, 2017-08-02

Hotel lobby (Edward Hopper) (1943)
Painting
Film "Shirley: visions of reality (2013, Gustav Deutsch)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Ego / ~ism/~centrism 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
Tribute to: Deutsch, Gustav 
 

News and novelties:

being new is their meaning --


still Without Title.


Nieuwigheden: nieuwNeuigkeiten: neu
zijn is hun betekenis --sein ist ihre Bedeutung --
nog Zonder Titel.noch Ohne Titel.

Poem H0415
Amsterdam, 2013-02-23

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Curiosity: new / news 
 

The farmer has cows,

some poultry with a watchdog --


and holiday guests.


Koeien, wat kippenKühe mit Hühner
en een varken houdt de boer --und ein Schwein hält der Bauer --
en zomergasten.und Sommergäste.

Poem H0221
Amsterdam, 2012-01-28

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Trade 
 

Zywa Dream hotel

The lights are always on in the villa
with the black awnings and in
the rooms of the rear building
where you never see anyone

The tourists coming here, must be
a cover, it is a quiet hotel
Sometimes someone plays the piano -
a clear tension in the night

The whole situation makes me think
of acts that I know from films
and wish to experience
only that way:

a beautiful man who desires me
with whom I can do everything, veiled
in the middle, surrounded by lust
and pleasure as a second skin

Poem 4799
Amsterdam, 2022-11-10

Rooms for Tourists (Edward Hopper) (1926)
Painting
Book "Traumnovelle" ("Rhapsody: A Dream Novel" / "Dream Story", 1925, Arthur Schnitzler)
Film "Eyes Wide Shut" (1999, Stanley Kubrick)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Fantasy: playing 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
Tribute to: Schnitzler, Arthur 
 

Everything could be,

tonight, and it cannot be --


It's so sweltering!


Alles zou kunnen,Alles könnte sein,
vanavond, maar het kan niet --dennoch ist es unmöglich --
zo bloedheet is het.so glutheiß ist es.

Poem S1267
Train Amsterdam-Alkmaar, 2021-10-22

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Summer^ 
 

The dog steps backwards,

presses her chin on the earth --


and looks at the sun.


De hond stapt terug,Der Hund tritt zurück,
drukt zijn kin op de aarde --drückt sein Kinn auf der Erde --
en kijkt naar de zon.schaut auf die Sonne.

Poem H0008
Amsterdam, 2011-11-17

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Sun: blazing 
 

The night is still dark,

the rooster begins to crow --


the wind gathers strength.


Het is nog donker,Es ist noch dunkel,
de haan begint te kraaien --der Hahn fängt an zu krähen --
de wind wakkert aan.gleich nimmt der Wind zu.

Poem H0113
Julianadorp, 2011-12-25

After the song "All along the watchtower" (1967, Bob Dylan)
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Birds: chicken / cock / hen 
Keyword: Expectation 
 

Zywa Morning sun

In the morning sun, on the bed
at the wide open window
I breathe-in the world and
my breath into the world

I no longer feel love
from him, only his worries
he doesn't want to talk, life
is flowing past us

he is a good man
yet I will leave
for a new home
empty but light and spacious

Poem 1204
Amsterdam, 2017-03-12

Morning sun (Edward Hopper) (1952)
Painting
Film "Shirley: visions of reality (2013, Gustav Deutsch)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Love: heartbreak 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
Tribute to: Deutsch, Gustav 
 

The city, people,

its pulse of fast flowing life --


all bustling beauty!


De stad, de mensen,Die Stadt, die Menschen,
het snel stromende leven:das schnell fließende Leben:
bruisende schoonheid!brausende Schönheit!

Poem H0960
Amsterdam, 2014-05-29

"La grande bellezza" ("The Great Beauty", 2013, Paolo Sorrentino)
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: City (crowded) 
Tribute to: Sorrentino, Paolo 
 

The sand, lying down

and blasting up, this is how --


the beach is breathing.


Het zand gaat liggen,Feiner Sand legt sich
het zand vlaagt even weer op --und stößt immer wieder auf --
zo ademt het strand.so atmet der Strand.

Poem H0099
Amsterdam, 2011-12-20

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Breath 
 

Zywa Beach House

Your cloths are already dry
but I just let them flap
so at least something is happening
in this deserted place

You just sit there watching
taking a dip every now and then
Afterwards you carefully dab
the short hairs on your skull

I liked you better in the bar
although you were bragging
about your house and the beach
all to yourself

You showed your brown chest
I wanted to lie on it
and work on my tan a little
so nice by the sea

No, you are not social
the day is still long
and there is nothing here
to cook a good meal

Poem 4811
Amsterdam, 2022-11-13

Sea Watchers (Edward Hopper) (1952)
Painting
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Love: seducing 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
 

Stevedores work hard,

down under the tower crane's --


elevated legs.


Lossers en ladersDer Turmkran leitet
werken hard onder de kraan --die Stauer, die sich schinden --
op hoge poten.Von oben herab.

Poem S0014
Amsterdam, 2011-12-15

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Power: wielding 
 

There are boys, hunting

me to a detour, I'm tired --


It is getting dark.


Jongens jagen meIch bin müde, Jungs
naar een omweg, ik ben moe --jagen mich, der Umweg --
Het wordt al donker.geht in das Zwielicht.

Poem S0091
Amsterdam, 2013-08-11

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Power: compulsion / violence 
 

Zywa As usual

He is late, as usual
It's his car, he decides
when we go home
At least, if he does come

And after the party he will say: Come
it was a nice evening, wasn't it?

but if he absolutely needs to
I'll let him, I'll let him

come until he screams
for mercy - nobody can hear it
The wind will blow, the grass will wave
and I will turn around to sleep

I love him, I know why
and he should be able to do better
I am worth it, and he too
If I only could teach him

Poem 4787
Amsterdam, 2022-11-08

South Carolina Morning (Edward Hopper) (1955)
Painting
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Love: flawed/doubt/powerless 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
 

A magpie inspects

what is trusted, what is new --


around my new house.


Een ekster kijkt rondEine Elster guckt,
wat vertrouwd is en wat nieuw --was vertraut und was neu ist --
rond mijn nieuwe huis.um mein neues Haus.

Poem H1017
Amsterdam, 2014-07-16

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Curiosity: new / news 
 

Zywa Our promise

The morning sunlight
on our face, our house
of brownstones, the promise
of the future that we chose

It is really starting now, we will
walk along the channeled stream
and the children will play
under the pines on the hill

Here we want to root
broadly and deeply
until the sun sets

We have unpacked our stuff
the cards with congratulations
next to the vase with tulips

the bed open
the house inaugurated

Poem 1683
Amsterdam, 2018-02-17

Sunlight on brownstones (Edward Hopper) (1956)
Painting
Film "Shirley: visions of reality (2013, Gustav Deutsch)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Promise 
Keyword: Future: wish 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
Tribute to: Deutsch, Gustav 
 

In posh clothes she walks

in the street with a coffee --


An efficient life.


In sjieke klerenIn schicker Kleidung
met koffie op straat lopen --trinkt sie Kaffee beim Gehen --
Efficiënt leven.Effizient leben.

Poem S0071
Amsterdam, 2012-08-01

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: City (crowded) 
 

Zywa Until the reception calls

Out of fashion, out-dated
there's no help for it, so let me be
unattractive, rejected
because I show myself so conspicuously
and attract attention needlessly

That's how I'm seen. I am seen
and the whispering amuses me
although nobody talks to me

And you let me wait again
until the reception calls
that you are there

So I just sit here
looking out the window
I am used to it, there is nothing to see
at the back of the hotel
and it is getting dark

You always were impatient
My make-up took too long for you
and you sat angry in the car

but if I behaved exactly
the way you had conceived
you could really be sweet

Poem 4813
Amsterdam, 2022-11-13

Hotel Window (Edward Hopper) (1956)
Painting
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Old age: watching 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
 

I have walked for hours

and I didn't see anyone --


yet there is a path.


Ik loop al urenIch laufe, lange,
en ik kom niemand tegen --und treffe niemanden, doch --
toch is er een pad.es gibt einen Pfad.

Poem H0440
Amsterdam, 2013-04-23

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Culture: heritage 
 

Zywa No man's

On the way
I ended up in a no man's house
in no-man's time and no man's land

The bed is queen-
size, enough place
for a king, if he

is good for more
than sleeping, than having sex
for more than once

In the empty hotel room
the window is a command
to look outside

Narrow ornamental curtains
always a view, always
being exposed

It is strange, nobody is living
in this beautiful place, here
I would like to live

Squeaking wheels
in the hallway, a clicking door
and it's quiet. What kind

of person may that be?
Shall I start to unpack
my suitcase anyway?

Poem 1474
Amsterdam, 2017-08-02

Western Motel (Edward Hopper) (1957)
Painting
Film "Shirley: visions of reality (2013, Gustav Deutsch)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Love: wish (thought) 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
Tribute to: Deutsch, Gustav 
 

My eyes follow your

fingers: they point to their own --


shiny painted nails.


Ik volg jouw vingers:Sieh, deine Finger
ze wijzen naar hun eigenweisen auf ihren eig'nen --
blinkende nagels.glänzenden Nägel.

Poem H0916
Amsterdam, 2014-05-02

After "Brits" ("Plank bed", 1974, J. Bernlef)
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Attention: attract 
Tribute to: Bernlef, J. 
 

Corpse pose: bodyless

I lie and listen, hearing --


the world nothingness.


Lijkhouding: lichaam-Die Leichnam-Haltung:
loos lig ik te luisteren --körperlos höre ich ganz --
naar het wereldniets.still dem Weltnichts zu.

Poem S0024
Julianadorp, 2011-12-30

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Silence 
 

Zywa Real Buttocks

A second, a stain flies over
the wall, a seagull

the evening is brewing and I
lie in my shirt on the bed

and read Plato, the allegory
of the prisoners in the cave

I hear my husband, close quickly
the book and turn around

with my back to him
I pretend that I'm asleep. He comes

and sits next to me, unpleasantly
warm against me

My buttocks are exposed
but he takes no notice of that

Poem 1202
Amsterdam, 2017-03-12

Excursion into philosophy (Edward Hopper) (1959)
Painting
Film "Shirley: visions of reality (2013, Gustav Deutsch)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Love: flawed/doubt/powerless 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
Tribute to: Deutsch, Gustav 
 

You know my life and

with all your experience --


you show it to me.


Jij kent mijn levenDu kennst mein Leben
en met al jouw ervaring --und mit deiner Erfahrung --
laat je het mij zien.zeigst du es mir vor.

Poem H1907
Amsterdam, 2017-12-17

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Self-knowledge 
Dedicated to: Ineke J 
 

Zywa On the balcony at Grandma's

Grandma is bored, she waits
for my wedding and perhaps
she fantasises that I'm getting pregnant

How would it have been
with grandfather and her in bed?
We don't talk about that

just about the afternoons
in the sun, gaining some
colour for the summer

She would have liked that, but
at that time people thought differently
Anyway, bikinis did not yet exist

So much has changed, she reads it
to me from the magazine
and I laugh at her astonishment

She is old, her hair as white
as the walls in this sun, lovely
Lu does not have to come yet

Poem 4781
Amsterdam, 2022-11-07

Second Story Sunlight (Edward Hopper) (1960)
Painting
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Pleasure 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
 

The large smooth boulder:

ancient is the slide, and white --


from women's buttocks.


Grote gladde steen:Großer glatter Stein:
oud is de glijbaan, en wit --alt ist die Rutsche, und weiß --
van vrouwenbillen.von Frauenhintern.

Poem H0458
Train Assen-Amsterdam, 2013-06-07

The Chilchliflue at Steindorf (Solothurn) in Switzerland
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Harmony: relaxation 
Keyword: Schweiz% 
 

Zywa Cradle

Along the curtain, the caress
of the wind that embraces me

in the middle of the sun window
of the floor of the room

my feet on the carpet
reach deep into the earth

my heat salutes the heat
my breath kisses the wind

      I pull the bed into the sunlight
      and cradle me in well-being

      stretched out and opened wide
      I glide into the world

Poem 1177
Amsterdam, 2017-03-10

A woman in the sun (Edward Hopper) (1961)
Painting
Film "Shirley: visions of reality (2013, Gustav Deutsch)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Love: for yourself 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
Tribute to: Deutsch, Gustav 
 

It just keeps growing

and fills up the living room --


that you are not there.


Het blijft maar groeienEs dehnt sich weiter
en vult heel de huiskamer:aus, füllt den gesamten Raum:
dat jij er niet bent.dass du nicht da bist.

Poem H0957
Amsterdam, 2014-05-29

Happy years (Daniele Luchetti) (2013)
This poem relates to the sculpture that artist Guido (Kim Rossi Stuart) makes in the movie "Anni felici" ("Happy years", Daniele Luchetti, 2013)
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Missing:  
Tribute to: Luchetti, Daniele 
 

Zywa Meantime Now

He is gone, I wish he came back
Would he, perhaps, now happen to
have come here to this movie?

That I turn around and he is there
alone, like me, and now
we know how it works

we might make more of it

if he, if he
wants so and seizes this opportunity
before the gong goes, and

if I, if I
dare to look behind
now it is still a break

Poem 1199
Amsterdam, 2017-03-12

Intermission (Edward Hopper) (1963)
Painting
Film "Shirley: visions of reality (2013, Gustav Deutsch)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Love: heartbreak 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
Tribute to: Deutsch, Gustav 
 

Objects from the past,

just a few remaining friends --


nocturnal ground frost.


Dingen van vroeger,Sachen von früher,
vrienden die gebleven zijn --Freunde, die geblieben sind --
nachtvorst aan de grond.und nachts Bodenfrost.

Poem H0950
Amsterdam, 2014-05-29

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Goodbye: gradual 
 

Zywa Interplace

Only the radio is still here
the movers left
my house, an interplace now
a pause in the street

There, the inner garden
squirrels and tall trees
Standing at the window, warmth
on my face, in my clothes

The room is nicer now
swept, a sunny emptiness
with a windowsill of music
that I will take with me, in a little while

Poem 1201
Amsterdam, 2017-03-12

Sun in an empty room (Edward Hopper) (1963)
Painting
Film "Shirley: visions of reality (2013, Gustav Deutsch)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Relocation 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
Tribute to: Deutsch, Gustav 
 

The tall sunflowers

are warming their high shoulders --


in the evening sun.


De zonnebloemenDie Sonne sinkt schon,
warmen hun hoge schouders --die Sonnenblumen wärmen --
in de avondzon.ihre Schultern hoch.

Poem H0486
Amsterdam, 2013-07-01

In the evening, the sun shines on the back of the sunflowers (geen "tournesol")
Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Sun: life 
 

Things are much smaller

than before: our house, the street --


our present life too.


Alles is kleinerKleiner als zuvor:
dan vroeger: ons huis, de straat --das Haus, die Straße, heute --
ons leven van nu.unseres Leben.

Poem H0413
Amsterdam, 2013-02-22

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Adultness 
 

Zywa Skull soup

On a swivel chair, I look around
the time capsule of my head
flies and devises stories

of memories and images
that pass, I travel
to my birth country

It does not exist, never
it has existed, it is a soup

of ingredients picked life-
long at my feet, cooked
in the pan of my skull

      The fresh soup now
      from my birth country
      tastes different, really

      I see it
      at the plants and the varieties

Poem 1060
Amsterdam, 2017-02-22

Chair car (Edward Hopper) (1965)
Painting
Film "Shirley: visions of reality (2013, Gustav Deutsch)

Collection: NightWatch 
Keyword: Home: homeland / homesickness 
Tribute to: Hopper, Edward 
Tribute to: Deutsch, Gustav 
 

Zywa
     Collection:   NightWatch
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PencilPumiceRainLoves
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