Zywa Gravity

The house is cleaned up
my head is next

hands around a warm glass
lights turned off, staring

at a flame, unnoticed
burning up my worries

But my skull retains
something heavy deeply hidden

seeing no light, concealed
a desire

to live and experience
My skull retains

my centre of gravity

Poem 134
Rovio, 2009-07-16

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Life: lust (impulse) 
Keyword: Meditation 
Dedicated to: C W 
 

The set of singing

bowls is glimmering to please --


waiting for my stroke.


Om te behagenUm zu gefallen
staat de klankschaal te blinken --glänzt die Singschale, wartend --
wachtend op mijn slag.auf meinen Schlag.

Poem H0016
Amsterdam, 2011-11-19

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Silence 
 

Under bobbing leaves

I am lazely floating --


in the wide blue sky.


Onder deinend bladUnter wogendem
lig ik loom te dobberen --Laub treib ich lässig herum --
in de blauwe lucht.im blauen Himmel.

Poem H0108
Julianadorp, 2011-12-25

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Calm: harmony 
 

A dog woofs woofwoof,

and I ask: What do you mean? --


The dog woofs woofwoof.


Een hond woeft woefwoef,Ein Hund wuft wuffwuff,
en ik vraag: Wat bedoel je? --und ich frage: Was sagst du? --
De hond woeft woefwoef.Der Hund wuft wuffwuff.

Poem H0142
Julianadorp, 2011-12-31

Koan: Does a dog have Buddha-nature or not? Osho Zhaozhou answers: "Mu" (Zhaozhou = Joshu; Osho = honourable monk, or high priest)
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Communication 
 

Flowers in the park:

people are strolling around --


opening themselves.


Bloemen in het park:Blumen im Stadtpark:
mensen wandelen wat rond --Menschen spazieren herum --
en openen zich.und sie öffnen sich.

Poem H0291-09
Amsterdam, 2012-03-13

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Openness 
Keyword: Openness 
 

The house of my youth

has been rebuild: younger bricks --


for younger people.


De oude woningDie alte Wohnung
is verbouwd: jonge stenen --ist umgebaut: junger Stein --
voor jonge mensen.für junge Leute.

Poem H0319
Amsterdam, 2012-07-18

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: New: renewal 
 

Zywa Toki pona

Kulupu kulupu
Lon li pona pona
E suno li pona
E len kin li pona

En mi sijelo kin
sina sijelo kin
telo e kasi en
e kili li pona



Moku mute li pona
Lape mute li pona
Olin li pona pona
mi olin e mi mije

tan o ona li pona
Ona li pona mute
Unpa musi li pona
Unpa mute li pona



Pali pona mama mama
pali pona pona
E suno li pona
pona pona pona

Lon li pona pona
pali pona pona
Mi olin e sina
tan e sina li pona

Poem 183
Amsterdam, 2012-09-11

Sonja Lang created Toki pona in 2001, a language of 120 words
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Peace: 
Tribute to: Lang, Sonja 
 

Zywa Good tidings

People people
It's very good to live
The sun is good
Clothes are good too

And my body too
your body too
water, the plants and
the fruits are good



Eat a lot is good
Sleep a lot is good
Love is very good
I love my man

because he is good!
He is very good
The joy of sex is good
Often sex is good



Thank you mum dad
thank you very much
The sun is good
very very good

It's very good to live
thank you very much
I love you
because you are good

Poem 185
Amsterdam, 2012-09-11

Translation of poem "Toki pona", written in Toki pona
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Peace: 
Tribute to: Lang, Sonja 
 

The cat lazes out

on the fence post in the sun --


ready to jump down.


De poes op de paalDie Katze sitzt faul
luiert in het zonnetje --auf dem Pfahl in der Sonne --
klaar om te springen.bereit zu springen.

Poem H0464
Amsterdam, 2013-06-12

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Attention: surroundings 
 

I stand like a tree,

my mind is rooted in breath --


down into my toes.


Ik sta als een boom,Ich steh wie ein Baum,
mijn geest wortelt in adem --mein Geist wurzelt in Atem --
tot in mijn tenen.zu meinen Zehen.

Poem H0504
Amsterdam, 2013-07-14

Vrksasana (Tree pose)
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Balance: psycho-soma 
 

In evening twilight

everything shrinks, the street noise --


the houses, myself.


In de schemeringIn der Dämmerung
krimpen de straatgeluiden,schrumpft alles, den Straßenlärm --
de huizen, ikzelf.die Häuser, ich selbst.

Poem H0522
Amsterdam, 2013-07-29

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Evening 
 

Looking at myself,

without moving, my body --


is disappearing.


Kijkend naar mezelf,Ich sehe mich an,
zonder me te verroeren --ohne mich zu bewegen --
verdwijnt mijn lichaam.Mein Körper verwischt.

Poem H0585
Amsterdam, 2013-09-28

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Meditation 
 

The waves rolling round,

in wild curls, steady and flat --


is the horizon.


De golven rollenDie Wellen rollen
rond in wilde krullen, strak --rund in wilden Locken, flach --
blijft de horizon.bleibt der Horizont.

Poem H0612
Amsterdam, 2013-10-07

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Perception: observation 
 

Over there, it is

greener, so I'll take a look --


at just green grass there.


Ginds is het groener,Drüben ist's grüner,
dus ga ik daar maar weer eens --also sehe ich mir dort --
naar groen gras kijken.mal grünes Gras an.

Poem H1535
Vaison-la-Romaine, 2016-10-09

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Desire: 
 

The bushes are strong,

so many caterpillars:


a butterfly yard.


De struiken zijn sterk,Die Sträuche sind stark,
veel knoppen en veel rupsen:viele Knospen und Raupen:
een vlindertuin.ein Schmetterlings-Hof.

Poem H1537
Vaison-la-Romaine, 2016-10-09

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Life: environment 
 

One heaven -- people

with tightly interlinked thoughts:


one mycelium.


Eén hemel -- mensenEín Himmel -- Menschen
met verbonden gedachten:mit vernetzten Gedanken:
één grote zwamvlok.éin großes Mycel.

Poem H1539
Vaison-la-Romaine, 2016-10-09

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Heaven / Sky / Hell 
 

All my neighbours live

with different possessions --


the same as I do.


Mijn buren levenDie Nachbarn leben
met heel andere spullen --mit ganz anderen Sachen --
hetzelfde als ik.genauso wie ich.

Poem S0408
Vaison-la-Romaine, 2016-10-09

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: People: mankind 
 

Zywa In my own truth

I can put on nice clothes
and sit in the lap of a man

with blue eyes, drinking champagne
in the colour of his skin
without having any feelings for him

but I just like to sit
on an empty terrace
in my own truth
of an empty terrace

as long as nobody thinks
look, over there, that charming
terrace with that woman

let's join and have
a roadside-flower lemonade there

Poem 830
Amsterdam, 2016-11-13

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Alone: quiet 
 

Zywa Manga Baby

In this sanctuary I am the saint
a bigbellied buddha
Everyone tries hard
to make me live with a smile
To receive is everything
to receive is to grow

There is so much I can get
so what shall I take from the game?
Do you have from the cakes: the cream
puff, and from the animals: the unicorn
and the dragon?
Then I won!

The dragon brings me everywhere
by the shortest, the fastest
or the golden mean way
I am in her neck with a smile
wrapping the world around my finger
What is changing, changes

Poem 1080
Amsterdam, 2017-02-25

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Wealth: abundance 
 

Zywa In anyone's hands

There is no certainty
in anyone's hands
where it is going

Just sit down
at the promenade
and watch the people

Most of them are free
and bored, not really
on the way, sometimes tired

sometimes with children
who have no idea
together, on vacation

from sports, games and school –
learnt in the cradle, lasting long
but nothing happens

different than usual but
licking an ice cream
just like flies

you can catch
if you are handy and fast
because they always want to eat

and like fathers and mothers
for their future only
have worrisome wishes

Poem 1084
Amsterdam, 2017-02-26

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Fate 
 

Zywa Sun in me

The things and the people are crying out
for my attention, there is a clutter
in the cupboard, mail in the box, a list

for groceries, all kinds of things
compelling me throughout the day
to relax, they grow

the more I think of them and it doesn't help
to clean up as long as I keep on living
the same, locking me up in shame and guilt

because of what I see in the mirror
that others are holding against me
with whom I dare not discuss

and live the truth: the sun
that fulfils my whole being
with inexhaustible energy --

fuel in my belly
love in my heart
light in my head

Poem 1085
Amsterdam, 2017-02-26

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Life: energy 
Keyword: Reiki^ 
 

Zywa Worthy

Just let people
think what they like to think
I am strong, I claw
fire off me

breathe warmth and light
in and out of my heart
fruitfully connected
with mother earth

I nurture life
that gives me all -
with drops of moon
blood, and I open me

for whom is worthy
knowing the Force:
letting it flow freely
through every fiber

Poem 1086
Amsterdam, 2017-02-26

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Life: energy 
 

Zywa The square is singing

I see the late and the early
people in lighted rooms
where the curtains are not closed

I see men in the twilight
penumbra of the morning
talking on the benches

in the circle of the square
that then starts singing
in the trees that live there

Everything keeps going on
from yesterday to tomorrow
but without beginning and end

There is not even a direction
everything goes by itself
its divine way

Poem 1090
Amsterdam, 2017-02-28

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Life: energy 
 

Zywa Well, dying

Well, I may drown
freeze to death overnight
under a tree, just

grow numb or be lucky
and get a place
to sleep in the shelter

under the hundred beds blanket
with a head hole for each
comfortably warm together

But even then, this morning
my neighbour didn't wake up
at the first, second and third gong

Floundering he went up
when the blanket was hoisted
Under the beams he hung still

a skinny body -- we watched
and for a half we each fenched
an incense stick

Poem 1094
Amsterdam, 2017-03-01

The night shelter in Hangzhou (Jan Slauerhoff) (1930)
Poem "Het nachtasyl te Hang Tsjow" (collection "Yoeng Poe Tsjoeng")
Hang Tsjow = Hangzhou

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Fate 
Tribute to: Slauerhoff, Jan 
 

Zywa Outer refuge

Shorn sheep warm themselves in the sun
shade under the crooked trees

a bathtub tilted to a trough
the dike ditch a ribbon of red algae

peeled signs on the border
water and land

the rippling nibbling on the slope
grass beds along the crest-path

I walk along the wide water
no screeching tyres here

sometimes on Sou'wester days
the seagulls and the wind

laundry flapping at the back
white as the sails in the lurid light

the sea level silvered by the sky
the horizon bent between the banks

the water arches over the green valley
swaying and waving seaweed nymphs

charm beneath the waves
treasures seemingly for the taking

golden yellow stones in the Shire Sea

Poem 1095
Amsterdam, 2017-03-01

Refuge: village upon a terp
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Calm: space 
Keyword: Holland% 
Dedicated to: Rob Z 
 

Zywa Sound gifts

I feel the wave
through my clothes
in my lungs
the stalks behind the reed

and I shudder
with the seas and the grass
the inaccessible swamp

Patches of gull and we
voices of the song
of the earth, breath of her tide
echo of her singing

we harbours with locks
osmotic enclaves
personating skin

Pumping sound
gifts in and out
we are music
I am music

Poem 1103
Amsterdam, 2017-03-02

Person: from personare = resound, sound through
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Music: vibration 
 

Zywa Living in the woods

If I were a giant, I would
definitely live in the woods
because trees are even bigger

and then I also have a family
because they live in the woods too
Furthermore, no one lives there

maybe brownies, invisible
because they stay behind the trees
I like to come in the big forest

the trees are waiting for me
and they always walk along with me
until I'm out of the woods

Then they stand still again
and they watch me going --
since I became seven

At that time they came at night
on a visit to say
that I am always welcome

Poem 1105
Amsterdam, 2017-03-02

The trees (Albert Alberts) (1953)
Novella "De bomen"
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Life: environment 
Tribute to: Alberts, Albert 
 

Zywa Seagulls and dolphins

I am a high priest at sea, I serve
the dragon with his mighty wings
which are bulging from the blazing sun
and his breath, led by my one hand
at the helm and the other hand to the lines

tight enough, loose enough, every new moment
the wind exactly in the middle
on the sweet spot: two hearts connected
on the Way through strong winds and high waves
always in balance like two playing dolphins

And when the seagulls land on the deck
at the rise of a storm that confines me
in rain curtains, making my dragon stomp
and roar of all the violence, I follow its whims
attentively and hold course until there is a gap

between his black teeth and I slip
into the blue, the freedom between two skies
in which everything is clear and I have oversight
in all directions, from dawn to sunset
high priest of the sun in my heart

Poem 1108
Amsterdam, 2017-03-03

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Balance: 
 

Zywa Waiting in the wind

My neighbour is a thinker
a statue behind the house
in the summer and the winter

garden concealed in the spruce
His legs graft him:
bare, upright branches

invisibly sustained
by roots in the ground

At times a wind that doesn't want to wait
is stroking through his feathers
but hé is not rushed

when I throw fish
Thoughtful he knows
opportunities are taken or missed

and he knows the difference
the right moment
or not

Poem 1109
Amsterdam, 2017-03-03

After a photo by Jan Keijzer
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Waiting 
Dedicated to: Jan K 
 

Zywa Butterfly courtyard

The judge is listening, the clerk recording
everything and very precisely
the lawyers summarise it

A butterfly flutters through the hall
gently, gently
the judge catches it

between his hands, just a moment
then he arranges the acts
in an archive box

without passing sentence
He sends away the parties
to settle a small issue

together and
at the next session
he invites them

to make arrangements themselves
on another point
He takes the box and asks

their assent to close it
There is music from the café
the judge closes the windows

stores bands and robe
In the courtyard full of flowers
he fills a large watering can

Poem 1110
Amsterdam, 2017-03-03

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Peace: 
 

Zywa Meanwhile

It's been discussed, explained
and considered to a decision
a job, nothing more

to do, just wait
make ends meet
with some chores

a nice story in due time
be open to good luck
accept with a friendly smile

and proudly what casually is
given with love, and forget
what you are waiting for

Poem 1113
Amsterdam, 2017-03-03

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Waiting 
 

Zywa Fill / Empty

Young, I took the world
inside, filled me

and every day I was happy
to grow, greater than Alexander

the Great Baruch and Master Kong
fed by age-wise women

I married and had children:
the homely ordinary years

of peace and fulfilled wishes
It continued, the people

with whom I spoke, the places
I kept coming, the classes

I started to have, the world
I handed out and the soul-

snips of myself
that I began to leave behind everywhere

to get empty of life
that is standing still when it doesn't flow

to young bodies

Poem 1114
Amsterdam, 2017-03-03

The dogs no longer hunt (Albert Alberts) (1979)
Novella "De honden jagen niet meer"
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Life: stream (go by) 
Tribute to: Alberts, Albert 
 

Zywa Shapes do pass

In the evening the dunes are flat
and swampy watergray
bushes darken with dashes
of red and blue

Everything loses solidity
land looks like sea and sea seems to be land
in thin waves of twilight
water coagulates to shades of sand

Clouds resemble a massif
and moonless mountains
seem to be a night-black sky
in which are no stars

Ideas are lifelike
shapes do pass
Know where you attach to
then you are free

Poem 1116
Amsterdam, 2017-03-04

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Illusions: see through 
 

Zywa The sky a star

The closing of the sky is the last
I see, only my air bubbles
can escape, I myself am floating

down weightlessly
not sinking, not drowning
fading slowly

feeling nothing when I land
on the deep bottom of the sea
which reflects in the water

as a dark well shaft
the circle of light just a point
a star in my eternal night

Poem 1118
Amsterdam, 2017-03-04

Snell's window (1621)
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Death:  
Tribute to: Snel, Willebrord 
 

Zywa Opening

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

and now it comes in full
speed during the ceremony

I'm melting in front of a wall
of a sky high blazing fire

I am no longer a body
but flowing vibrations of heat

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

I fall backwards
A gently waving bed

catches me, it eats the flames
and covers me with gold

It was already there
my third eye

the hidden entrance
for secrets and primal energy

the opening for the eternal
light from me

Poem 1151
Amsterdam, 2017-03-07

Fire woman (Bill Viola) (2005)
Video for a performance of Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde"
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Awareness: connection 
 

I finished eating,

do I wish to remember --


the delicious taste?


Ik heb gegeten,Jetzt, nach dem Essen
wil ik me herinneren --möchte ich mich erinnern --
hoe lekker het was?wie lecker es war?

Poem H2151
Amsterdam, 2018-05-27

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Delight 
 

Coloured elephant,

step-dancing in the disco:


rainbow avatar.


Kleurenolifant,Farben-Elefant
stepdancing in de disco:stepptanzend in der Disko:
de regenbooggod.Regenbogengott.

Poem H2417
Amsterdam, 2019-03-26

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Harmony: relaxation 
 

A little sunshine

in your home is cosy, so --


are you shining too?


Ja, een zonnetjeSich in der Sonne
in huis wil iedereen wel --wärmen, das möchte jeder --
dus: schijn je zelf al?also: scheinst du schon?

Poem H2506
Amsterdam, 2019-06-19

With the South African "Sonnenglas" for Koen and Zusanne at their wedding (celebrated on June 22nd, 2019)
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Identity: personality 
Dedicated to: Koen K 
Dedicated to: Zusanne 
 

So large and so green

is the late summer carpet --


The park as our home!


Zo groot en zo groenSo groß und so grün
is het nazomertapijt --is der Spätsommerteppich --
Het park als ons huis!das Park, unser Haus!

Poem H2569
Amsterdam, 2019-09-20

Late summer in Vondelpark, Amsterdam
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Home: domicile / region 
 

Zywa Reading aloud by the sea

The sun hangs on
just above the water
With romantic feelings
the old people look

at us on the rocks
where we read to each other
They don't see the ants
only our young bodies
and in mind, they add the lizards

A foghorn sounds at sea
but there is nothing to see
until suddenly around us
the bathers on the concrete blocks
become who they seemed to be:

ghosts cherishing themselves
in the warmth on their skin
They turn around and wait
sleeping for the sun

Poem 2431
Amsterdam, 2019-09-27

Umag (Croatia), September 1988
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Rest: leisure / repose 
Keyword: Hrvatska% 
 

For the cave hermit

a loaf of bread has been placed --


on the shelf Thank You!


Voor de kluizenaarFür den Einsiedler
is er een brood neergelegd --wurde ein Laib ausgelegt --
op de plank Dank U!auf dem Brett Danke!

Poem H2578
Amsterdam, 2019-10-08

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Gratitude 
 

So sweet is the fruit

that I didn't pick, it just fell --


right into my lap.


Zo zoet is het fruitSo süß ist die Frucht
dat ik niet plukte, het viel --die ich nicht pflückte, sie fiel --
zomaar in mijn schoot.mir schon in den Schoß.

Poem H2580
Amsterdam, 2019-10-13

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Receiving 
Dedicated to: Maria Godschalk 
 

Flames of joy, flaring

up from the hearth of our hearts --


are heating the house.


Onze vreugde laaitDie Freude lodert
op uit de haard van ons hart --im Herd unserer Herzen --
en verwarmt het huis.und sie wärmt das Haus.

Poem H2595
Amsterdam, 2019-11-03

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Joy 
 

My things keep quiet,

they are absent in my home --


till I pick them up.


Al mijn spullen thuisSie halten sich still,
houden zich stil, afwezig --die Sachen sind abwesend --
tot ik ze oppak.bis ich sie nehme.

Poem H2634
Amsterdam, 2019-11-26

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Simple / Usual 
 

In the stone city,

I smell a soft harmony:


sidewalk gardens bloom.


In de stenen stadSanfte Harmonie
geurt een zachte harmonie:rieche ich in der Steinstadt:
stoeptuinen in bloei.Gehwege blühen.

Poem H2734
Amsterdam, 2020-06-17

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Balance: 
Keyword: Amsterdam% 
 


I'm obi, I carry that burden
even if it is hard for me sometimes
but then I salute the sun
and I smile at the moon

I'm not in a hurry
I breathe, I eat
the lightning and drink the rain
then I feel no pain

I like nice clothes
that's all, stay away
if you don't want to know me
and know everything better

I don't have to do anything
and I do nothing that doesn't flow
I know the angels
by their name
Poem 3013
Amsterdam, 2020-06-26

Obeah Woman (Nina Simone) (1974)
Song
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Life: experience 
Tribute to: Simone, Nina 
 

Relax, gratefully,

and take care of your body --


your temple of life.


Ontspan je, dankbaar,Entspanne, dankbar,
en zorg goed voor je lichaam --sorge für deinen Körper --
jouw levenstempel.Tempel des Lebens.

Poem H2760
Amsterdam, 2020-07-10

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Balance: 
 

Zywa Empty and full

Walking the streets safe
on the sidewalk, looking around
ignorant when I will see something
that is just there, but strikes me
as something special

Warming myself by the fire
gazing into the flames
which consume my thoughts
without making me miss them
Am I still there?

Listening to the murmur
of the waterfall, rain
washing me inside
clean, empty and full
of what I don't know yet

Circling like a hovering bird
seeing everything and nothing
until an insight moves
into which I dive
Does the prey become me?

It goes by itself, as if
I can do something, understand
something, am something beyond
my reason, bigger than myself
light, empty and full

Poem 3556
Amsterdam, 2021-03-11

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Meditation 
 

Zywa Narumi

Dive into this sea
rustle just like me!
Fumy foamy me
sloshing surging we
jingle jangle jee
fringle frangle free!

Flipper flopper flee
widdle waddle wee
sweeter tweeter tea
swopper sweeper pee
dive into this sea
rustle just like me!

Poem 3813
Amsterdam, 2021-05-13

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Playing: 
Dedicated to: Narumi L A 
 

Zywa Don't talk, tomorrow too

Don't talk, tomorrow too, tell
no stories, no illusions
rather do not give me anything

The reality is enough
as it is, not specified
free of labels

If I ever learn this
I will be wise and see
the known myself

also what isn't specified
of which I have to guess
what I smell, what I feel

and hear and see
also you
who wishes to be known

Don't talk, don't frame yourself
in an anecdote, such a short film
caught in templates

Poem 3857
Amsterdam, 2021-06-29

Caught in our own stories (Arjen van Veelen) (2021)
Essay in NRC (June 28th, 2021)
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Freedom: 
Tribute to: Van Veelen, Arjen 
 

I'm not passing by,

I watch the world carefully --


for those who didn't look.


Niet voorbijlopen,Nicht vorbeilaufen,
aandachtig de wereld zien --die Welt ruhig ansehen --
voor wie haar niet zag.für wen es nicht sah.

Poem H3044
Amsterdam, 2021-09-15

Artists
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Attention: observe 
 

Zywa Dreamcatcher

Fold back the duvet, escape
from the heat of the dream
letting the feeling go down
that is left of it

Change position, rest
and daydream about better times
In bed everything is a dream
my life a dream

my consciousness a dreamcatcher
Shadows dwell
in the knots of the gossamer
with undigested remains here and there

Somewhere in the web
I wake up, a story begins
its jumbled turns, I sink away
in the holes of my mind

Elsewhere in the web, a story begins
to wind in another way
along well-known facts, I sink away again
from the dream of my life

Poem 3952
Amsterdam, 2021-09-25

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Awareness: volatile / fragments 
 

Zywa I kissed men

So many lives I've lived
intertwined with what I did
and said to the people
I could touch

I kissed men
without kissing them
I've been abandoned
betrayed and beaten

as if it were real
and in my fantasy I slept
with friends I hugged
every now and then

My life is more
I am more
sympathy than blood and sweat
but all tears are real

Though powerlessly, I love
the people I look in the eye
through glasses of chance
glasses of words

or a camera, and
I love my neighbours
though it is routine
and falling short

Poem 3955
Amsterdam, 2021-09-26

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Sympathy / Compassion 
 

Zywa With thoughts

While I'm writing
I miss him in private
press him firmly and gently
against me
make him surrender

to my hands
to the blissful all
also feel him while I'm reading
and make him feel that
we are intimate friends

Words are nothing
if they don't touch
Contact is nothing
not intimacy
without a thought

Thoughts are channels
giving direction to our lives
and making us feel
what we feel, feel
that we are not alone

Poem 3959
Amsterdam, 2021-09-27

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Missing: absence 
 

The Buddha statue

lives crystal clear in the freeze --


melting in the sun.


Het boeddhabeeld leeftDie Buddhaskulptur
glashelder in de vrieskou --lebt kristallklar in dem Frost --
en smelt in de zon.schmilzt in der Sonne.

Poem H3154
Amsterdam, 2021-12-23

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (Kim Ki-duk) (2003)
Film "Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul... geurigo bom"
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Awareness: volatile / fragments 
Tribute to: Ki-duk, Kim 
 

The nights are silent,

the ferries out of service --


everyone in bed.


De nachten zijn stil,Die Nächte sind still,
de veerboten buiten dienst --die Fähren außer Betrieb --
iedereen in bed.jeder ist im Bett.

Poem H3173
Amsterdam, 2022-01-10

Lockdown because of Covid-19
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Calm: standstill 
Keyword: Amsterdam% 
Keyword: Covid-19^ 
 

My show, the middle

of the music, excitement --


pushing around me.


Mijn show, middeninMeine Show, Mitte
de muziek, de opwinding --der Musik, die Aufregung --
stuwend om mij heen.drängt um mich herum.

Poem H3262
Amsterdam, 2022-04-08

Frank Zappa Tribute band "2000 Motels" (Q-Factory in Amsterdam, April 8th, 2022)
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Music: rhythm 
Dedicated to: Valentina Bruno 
Tribute to: Zappa, Frank 
Composer: Zappa, Frank 
 

I nod in strict time,

yes, more, yes, it invites me --


it inexcites me.


Ik knik in de maat,Ich nicke im Takt,
ja, meer, ja, ja, het wint me --ja, mehr, ja, es gewinnt mich --
het winwindt me op.es windet mich auf.

Poem H3263
Amsterdam, 2022-04-08

Frank Zappa Tribute band "2000 Motels" (Q-Factory in Amsterdam, April 8th, 2022)
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Surrender 
Dedicated to: Valentina Bruno 
Tribute to: Zappa, Frank 
Composer: Zappa, Frank 
 

It's all about fun,

and skilfulness, oh, no sex!


Forget the words!


Het gaat om plezier,Es dreht sich um Spaß,
en bekwaamheid, oh, geen seks!und Kompetenz, oh, kein Sex!
Vergeet de woorden!Vergiss die Worte!

Poem H3264
Amsterdam, 2022-04-08

Frank Zappa Tribute band "2000 Motels" (Q-Factory in Amsterdam, April 8th, 2022)
Don't mind the vulgar lyrics

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Music: playful 
Dedicated to: Valentina Bruno 
Tribute to: Zappa, Frank 
Composer: Zappa, Frank 
 

Mowcircles around

the rosary, the centre --


of our attention.


Maaikringen rondomMähkreise rundum
het rozenperk, het centrum --das Rosenbeet, die Mitte --
van onze aandacht.der Aufmerksamkeit.

Poem H3496
Berg en Dal, 2022-10-11

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Attention: focus 
 

Afternoon napping.

My thoughts are sneaking around --


on their downy toes.


Middagdoezeling.Nachtmittagsdösen.
Mijn gedachten sluipen rond --Meine Gedanken schleichen --
op hun dons-tenen.auf Strümpfen herum.

Poem H3815
Amsterdam, 2023-05-08

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Sleep 
Keyword: Brain 
 

My attention, where

does it go, what do I want --


to see of the world?


Waar gaat mijn aandachtWohin geht meine
heen, waar rust ze, wat wil ik --Aufmerksamkeit, was will ich --
van de wereld zien?von der Welt sehen?

Poem S1861
Amsterdam, 2023-08-15

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Attention: observe 
 

Zywa Breathe

No fast traffic here
no high steel and concrete
in the streets, but
walkable space

The sun draws attention
away from us, towards the light
on the black facades on the harbour
the white cornices and red tiles:

the picture for the photos
of the tanned tourists
on the terrace of the tanhouse
who walk into our gardens

as if we live here
in an open-air museum
and should praise
their silly insolence

as a decent interest
But we can live with it
The visitors walk around
in a parallel reality

and we have real neighbours
a wide sky, the wide water
and the green island
We can breathe here

as the wood breathes
in the seasons
as the wind breathes
in the grass

Poem 5273
Amsterdam, 2023-09-04

Marken (nowadays a peninsula)
Tan: yellow- or red-brown dye, made from ground oak bark (which contains a lot of tannin)
Tanhouse: tannery (the name of a café-restaurant at the harbour: de Taanderij)

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Breath 
Keyword: Holland% 
Keyword: Tourism 
Dedicated to: Rob Z 
 

Welcome the goddess,

embrace the course of your life --


go hand in hand, dance!


Begroet de godin,Grüße die Göttin,
omarm je leven en geef --umarme dein Leben, geh --
elkaar een hand. Dans!Hand in Hand. Tanze!

Poem H4502
Amsterdam, 2024-02-07

A Story of A Goddess (Hashem Kabreet) (2022)
Composition for handpan
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Together: community 
Tribute to: Kabreet, Hashem 
 

Zywa In the cup of my thoughts

Not yet
my raincoat on
taking step after step

against the wind
across the empty beach
only in thoughts

alone in the world
with a cup of tea
in the cup of my hands

Hazy gray dune, goosebumps
over the sand, whitecaps
on the low clouds

and not a beast to be seen
this afternoon, meditating
in front of the window

going up in the mist soon
without disappearing
Not yet

Poem 5425
Amsterdam, 2024-02-19

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Meditation 
Keyword: Beach 
Dedicated to: Yuk Lin M 
 

Zywa Comfort zones [2]

In the city there are many doors
that are open at night
to being awake
experiencing something together
across the threshold
no longer being an outsider

In the city there are many sidewalks
where people stand
and explore distant areas
with flexible words
questions and mental leaps
to become familiar with them

In the city there are many gardens
where children play, birds
whistle and all year round, flowers
attract bees and people
to come and feast
on the nectar of the day

Poem 5434
Amsterdam, 2024-03-02

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: City (meeting) 
Keyword: Amsterdam% 
 

Zywa Gods lived within me

I think there is a beautiful palace
deep inside me
where gods determine how
my life must pass

They want satisfaction
are all unrest and
many, unruly
they do what they always do

They spoil my senses
enough or just not enough
because time and again I long for more
Please, one more time, one more time

I get so tired of that urge
I want to get rid of it
and think about how
I could achieve that

but it seems to happen spontaneously
   A girl sneaked in
   into my head or may have
   lived there from her childhood

   She went down all the stairs
   and, with a lighter and patience
   she set fire to the bottom step
   in the cellar where

   the gods reside
Now she runs up, fast fast
She flees ahead of the fire
rescues her body, rescues me too

Poem 1117
Amsterdam, 2017-03-04

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Will 
 

Zywa Paradox

Around the corner I visit Koan Float
because I could have been floating
between thriving bodies in the Dead Sea
at the deepest point
of the earth's crust but
I rather expose me completely
to sensory death
with the koan that my essence is
that there's no essence anywhere

Floating I practice ukizen
looking like a man with clear vision
who carries out a careful research
I delete every sideshow till the core
remains I start to find out
internally who and what I am
again and again until I know the truth
and my head has caught fire
of longing for what is eternal

But the water overcomes the fire
wipes away the shapes of my body preservation
with some reflections ripples salt
eats my flesh but lets me live
in a sarcophagus my mind keeps hovering
over emptiness I breathe upon nature
and experience enlightened the adventure
of the koan to float disembodied
that essentially no one can describe

Poem 1081
Amsterdam, 2017-02-25

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Paradox 
 

Zywa Blanche

Blanche, the white one
is another Tormenta
in another sunnier year

a devastating storm
in the white wall
of clouds around me

Sharply I see everything
rush, struck apart, it is
a raging, twirling and

lightly gliding out of the light
into the nothing
Calmly I see everything

dissolve
out of my eye
my quiet eye

Poem 78
Moutier, 2007-06-13

Blanche = White, Tormenta = Storm
The tropical cyclone "Blanche" (category 2) made landfall in the northeast Kimberley district of Western Australia on the 6th of March 2017

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Nature: elements 
 

Zywa Over the clouds

To enjoy is to get wet
the cold of the water
dripping in my neck
the soft towel that dries me
with the smell of honey

To enjoy is also: cycling
in the breathable jacket
that keeps me dry in the rain
splashing in the puddles
dancing on the plain asphalt

that places the clouds beneath me

Poem 116
Train Amsterdam-Nijmegen, 2008-10-04

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Rain / Rainbow 
 

Zywa Living breaks

I'm living in meantime

in a checkout queue or a lobby
at the hairdresser and the laundry
and when I take tit-bits and pastry

I'm living in meantime

when it's quiet in the train
when it's cloudy under the plane
and while I'm singing a refrain

when I'm at a stop in suburbia
take shelter and wait under a pergola
or pass over a few turns

when visitors are not coming
when it is silent after a greeting
and after excuses for early leaving

when friends whine about communication
repeat their stories with every consideration
for a lack of interest in a real conversation

In that meantime, the quotidian
breaks in between the action
I realize that I'm a person

Poem 1100
Amsterdam, 2017-03-02

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Time 
 

Zywa The seventh days that never pass

The kids are having fun
they run a race around
the marsh, meanwhile trying
to catch the time in this day
of rest, as eternal heroes

In the trees, they build
houses that bear sweet smells

This earthly paradise
for young and old, of reflecting
on the weeks together
to set out with astonished eyes
will never perish

Poem 1087
Amsterdam, 2017-02-26

Day of rest
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Rest: leisure / repose 
 

Zywa The bowl

The bowl wiggles
hypnotising light
and dark up and down

Taps of my nail
Pressing the edge down
Slowly following the round

Waves reflect the sun
Fluctuating light
Wiggle bowl

With a stick, I hit a vibrating current
into the bronze, the wooden table
and from my finger to my heart

into my blood, my waving blood
light and dark hum
the maternal tone

of my life up and down
breathe every second
in and out and do not fade

Poem 1102
Amsterdam, 2017-03-02

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Music: vibration 
 

Zywa Wrongprovements

I have fought, still
there are barbarians if you dare
to look behind the mirror

and to step through it
into the real world
of expensively bought wrongprovements

Victories are forgotten
while people celebrate them
over and over again

they will have to be won
till eternity amen
I sign for it

a tick after my name
I have seen life
let's dance

till the music drops

Poem 1111
Amsterdam, 2017-03-03

A checkmark means "vidit" = seen (in 1531, counselors of Emperor Charles V had to sign documents with such a v)
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Life: lust (take pains) 
 

Zywa Still

It is a dramatic word: still
Summary of an exciting story
my story and that of everyone living

Still, but in my mind I am already reaching
to the edge of the end, standing
in the gutter of the high roof

to fall and to try what then
But my body refuses the depth
it pushes me back, I can not

glide into the Grand Canyon
on the wings of the eagle
and open my eyes at home

after a world tour, so I still
stand there, a pappus after flowering
and I quiver in nine shades of white

on the edge of the hereafter

Poem 1115
Amsterdam, 2017-03-03

Lucid dreams
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Fantasy: imagination 
Tribute to: Castaneda, Carlos 
 

Zywa Sailing over the sea

Balloons sail over the sea
In my mind I sail along
Over flapping laundry
the world is more beautiful
than I know it can be

The shadows glide on
through the gate of the winds
the breath of sun and moon
the whispering of secrets
for those who want to catch them

The clock hand stands still
and shakes ahead until midnight
the day starts anew
in the arms of the sphinx

who preserves what happens
and without looking around
sees all with blind eyes
which sometimes blink at you
when clouds pass over

to open up your heart
and your mouth for an answer
to the questions that are no riddles
but puzzles that fit
when you sail over them

Poem 147
Amsterdam, 2010-05-23

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Dreaming 
 

Zywa Everything is fine on board

You know it:
taxiing, the run-up
and off, into the clouds

with the vortexes
The most natural thing
in the world nowadays

Right then I am prepared
to die, overlooking
the summary of life

beneath me, slowly
erased by the white clouds
to a blue celestial

void with a strobe light at the end
of the thin wing
signaling:

people alive here
everything is fine on board
we just fly by

Poem 1092
Amsterdam, 2017-02-28

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Life: course (overview) 
 

Zywa The Milky Wind in my head

It attacks me at night
a vague, milky-white sense
that spins around in my dream
like a tornado around my house

Swirling memories
keep me awake, centuries
of wisdom flow through me
not to be lost

In the morning I ponder
rocking on the porch
There is truth cracking
in the wood, it starts

to sing like heavenly harps –
a Milky Wind in my head
that throws everything open, blowing
down my house in front of me

Poem 1093
Amsterdam, 2017-03-01

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Spirit / Ghost(s) 
 

Zywa Confession

Om Om
All All

Om Bhur Bhuvah Svaha
Earth, All that creates life
Breath, All that takes away suffering
Fire, All that makes happy

Tat Savitur Varenyam
That Energy Principle

Bhargo Devasya dhimahi
The light when my mind is awake

Dhiyo yo nah' prachodayath
Wise is the one who understands

Poem 160
Amsterdam, 2010-12-19

Gayatri (the song of Sarashvati, the mother goddess)
Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Wisdom / Stupidity 
 

The earth makes me move,

each day she embraces me  --


in another way.


De aarde laat mijDie Erde lässt mich
bewegen, ze omarmt me --bewegen, sie umarmt mich --
elke dag anders.jeden Tag anders.

Poem H3124
Amsterdam, 2021-11-12

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Earth: mother 
 

Zywa Over the ditch

Bare buttocks in the berm
free, peeing under my pants
laying down on my side

the world and I flatter
grass everywhere, empty
of chairs

blue flashing light over the dike
I think the sound
to the condensation stripes

My look jumps over
the ditch, sees hided
flowers, I hear beetles

that I don't hear
the grass colours my eyes
it flies upon my tongue

and lets me have a taste
green with marigold
and fresh urine

Poem 4311
Amsterdam, 2022-02-13

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Earth: mother 
 

Finally alone,

in quiet, lots of time, nice --


for a while that is.


Eindelijk alleen,Endlich alleine,
rust en alle tijd, heerlijk --in Ruhe, viel Zeit, herrlich --
voor een tijdje dan.für eine Weile.

Poem H3203
Amsterdam, 2022-02-19

Collection: WoofWoof 
Keyword: Happiness (relaxation) 
 

Zywa
     Collection:   WoofWoof
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