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May 2024 · 204
[ Our fantasy way ]
Zywa May 2024
Our fantasy way

too often takes us along --


into its whirlpools.
Novel "The Golden House" (2017, Salman Rushdie), chapter (3-) 30

About the dangerous strait near Rhion in Greece, between the Gulf of Patras and the Gulf of Corinth, there is the story of the nymph Charybdis ("she who ***** down"), who was enchanted by Zeus into a whirlpool

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 400
[ It's unreal, the world ]
Zywa May 2024
It's unreal, the world

of the screens, you live in it --


like Don Quixote.
Beginning of the novel "Quichotte" (2019, Salman Rushdie), part 1, chapter 1

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 234
[ Everything normal ]
Zywa May 2024
Everything normal:

the queen size beds, the TV --


and the pizza box.
American motel
Novel "Quichotte" (2019, Salman Rushdie), part 2, chapter 9

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 274
[ There's a mystery ]
Zywa May 2024
There's a mystery

in him that I like to know --


don't, do, like to know.
Novel "Quichotte" (2019, Salman Rushdie), part 1, chapter 6

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 672
[ I wake up. But hey ]
Zywa May 2024
I wake up. But hey!

How many hours did I sleep? --


Where am I? And when?
Novel "Quichotte" (2019, Salman Rushdie), part 2, chapter 9

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 195
[ My childhood is now ]
Zywa May 2024
My childhood is now

a story, told with a smile --


at dinner parties.
Novel "Quichotte" (2019, Salman Rushdie), part 1, chapter 4

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 363
[ The Golden House, all ]
Zywa May 2024
The Golden House, all

golden houses are beliefs --


in an illusion.
Novel "The Golden House" (2017, Salman Rushdie), chapter (1-) 2

Domus Aurea (Golden House) of emperor Nero in Rome

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 298
[ I'm thinking aloud ]
Zywa May 2024
I'm thinking aloud

and looking out the window --


There, the river flows.
Novel "The Golden House" (2017, Salman Rushdie), chapter (2-) 22

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 185
[ On left, there's chaos ]
Zywa May 2024
On left, there's chaos,

on right, the world seems normal --


together, the truth.
Novel "The Golden House" (2017, Salman Rushdie), chapter (2-) 22

Apu Golden's left eye suffers from wet age-related macular degeneration

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 213
[ In the inside yard ]
Zywa May 2024
In the inside yard

with trees cut into a floor --


there are birds, whining.
Composition "Return to the Garden" (2024, Elizabete Beate Rudzinska), performed in the Organpark on May 17th, 2024 by Elizabete Beate Rudzinska (*****) and Luka Schuurman (performance)

Collection "org ANP ark" #191
May 2024 · 172
[ Just as it should be ]
Zywa May 2024
Just as it should be,

the triumphant army strides --


on dissonances.
Composition "Modes of Being", the parts "Triumph" and "Failure" (2024, Elizabete Beate Rudzinska), performed in the Organpark on May 17th, 2024 by Elizabete Beate Rudzinska (*****) and Luka Schuurman (performance)

Collection "org ANP ark" #189
May 2024 · 356
[ If dead were to dream ]
Zywa May 2024
If dead were to dream

they would definitely dream --


of death all the time.
Novel "Shalimar the Clown" (2005, Salman Rushdie), chapter Kashmira, § 2

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 362
[ He's a loving man ]
Zywa May 2024
He's a loving man,

he will be worthy of me --


when I am ready.
Novel "Shalimar the Clown" (2005, Salman Rushdie), chapter Kashmira, § 2

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 246
[ Manly love happens ]
Zywa May 2024
Manly love happens

to be action, it comes down --


to fighting dangers.
Novel "Shalimar the Clown" (2005, Salman Rushdie), chapter Shalimar the Clown, § 2

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 779
[ Why aren't there angels ]
Zywa May 2024
Why aren't there angels

keeping watch, not even here --


in Los Angeles?
Novel "Shalimar the Clown" (2005, Salman Rushdie), chapter Kashmira, § 1

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 1.3k
[ The dense cloud cover ]
Zywa May 2024
The dense cloud cover

hangs still, lowering itself --


and taking a rest.
Composition "Modes of Being", part "Rest" (2024, Elizabete Beate Rudzinska), performed in the Organpark on May 17th, 2024 by Elizabete Beate Rudzinska (*****) and Luka Schuurman (performance)

Collection "org ANP ark" #188
May 2024 · 154
[ Dark and menacing ]
Zywa May 2024
Dark and menacing

it comes close, it attaches --


stickily to us.
Composition "Modes of Being", part "Attachment" (2024, Elizabete Beate Rudzinska), performed in the Organpark on May 17th, 2024 by Elizabete Beate Rudzinska (*****) and Luka Schuurman (performance)

Collection "org ANP ark" #187
May 2024 · 226
[ I like to think I'm ]
Zywa May 2024
I like to think I'm

alone all morning, drowning --


in a sea of tea.
Poem "De linkse is de droefste" ("The leftist is the saddest", 2008, Lies Van Gasse)

Collection "MistI"
May 2024 · 119
[ What keeps me awake ]
Zywa May 2024
What keeps me awake

is something I want to know --


and have forgotten.
Poem "De linkse is de droefste" ("The leftist is the saddest", 2008, Lies Van Gasse)

Collection "MistI"
May 2024 · 183
[ Everyone expects ]
Zywa May 2024
Everyone expects

to win and bets money on --


a castle in air.
Novel "Fury" (2001, Salman Rushdie), chapter 1

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 244
[ Still to be set up ]
Zywa May 2024
Still to be set up:

the Merry Celebration --


of Counting Blessings.
Novel "Fury" (2001, Salman Rushdie), chapter 1

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 707
[ The guests run away ]
Zywa May 2024
The guests run away,

the staff is left with the feast --


left with the rumours.
Novel "Shalimar the Clown" (2005, Salman Rushdie), chapter Boonyi, § 1

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 392
[ It is night, I walk ]
Zywa May 2024
It is night, I walk

across the metropolis --


which denies the night.
Novel "Fury" (2001, Salman Rushdie), chapter 4

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 734
[ India is much ]
Zywa May 2024
India is much

more than chaos: through and through --


logical chaos.
Novel "Shalimar the Clown" (2005, Salman Rushdie), chapter India - 'India is chaos making sense'
May 2024 · 270
[ Walking in silence ]
Zywa May 2024
Walking in silence,

listening attentively --


to what the world says.
Novel "Shalimar the Clown" (2005, Salman Rushdie), chapter India
May 2024 · 437
[ On a tightrope, you ]
Zywa May 2024
On a tightrope, you

walk best thinking of it as --


air that carries you.
Novel "Shalimar the Clown" (2005, Salman Rushdie), chapter Boonyi, § 1

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 325
[ I talk in my sleep ]
Zywa May 2024
I talk in my sleep,

I recorded it and then --


quickly erased it.
Novel "Shalimar the Clown" (2005, Salman Rushdie), chapter India

Collection "Low gear"
May 2024 · 721
[ I'm expectant and ]
Zywa May 2024
I'm expectant and

I'm ready to write it down:


the northern lights, there!
Poem "Mevrouw Despina ziet noorderlicht" ("Mrs. Despina sees northern lights", 2008, Marjoleine de Vos)

Collection "Unseen"
May 2024 · 236
[ The statues destroyed ]
Zywa May 2024
The statues destroyed,

temples without a roof, gods --


that are still alive.
Poem 29. "Ionikón" ("Ionic", 1911, Konstantinos Kaváfis)

Collection "Held/True"
May 2024 · 185
[ I seclude myself ]
Zywa May 2024
I seclude myself

in two rooms: one made of stone --


and one made of time.
Column "Derde leg" ("Third laying", 2021, Ellen Deckwitz, in the NRC on May 4th, 2021)

Collections "Death on Cast" and "WriteWiser signage"
May 2024 · 337
[ Well, I think a lot ]
Zywa May 2024
Well, I think a lot

is wrong, very unhealthy --


they are: opinions.
Column "Niet vervelend" ("Not annoying", 2023, Ellen Deckwitz, in the NRC on June 15th, 2023)

Collection "Death on Cast"
May 2024 · 115
[ My key does not fit ]
Zywa May 2024
My key does not fit

in de front door of my house --


My previous home.
Column "Nieuwe weg" ("New way", 2023, Ellen Deckwitz, in the NRC on August 21st, 2023)

Collection "Death on Cast"
May 2024 · 274
[ That's how he has been ]
Zywa May 2024
That's how he has been:

that toddler, his little hands --


two little starfish.
Column "Niet verplegen" ("Not nursing", 2023, Ellen Deckwitz, in the NRC on August 31st, 2023)
May 2024 · 503
[ A silvery sky ]
Zywa May 2024
A silvery sky,

dark and quiet the mountains --


as if sound asleep.
Novella "Fuglene under himmelen" ("The birds under the sky", 2019, Karl Ove Knausgard)

Collection "Glimpsed"
May 2024 · 620
[ She's looking outside ]
Zywa May 2024
She's looking outside,

but still, does she see the view --


our beautiful view?
Novella "Fuglene under himmelen" ("The birds under the sky", 2019, Karl Ove Knausgard)

Collection "Glimpsed"
May 2024 · 192
[ Fragments of people ]
Zywa May 2024
Fragments of people,

with their words and their faces --


their shyness exposed.
Column "De kracht van enthousiasme" ("The power of enthusiasm", 2021, Joyce Roodnat, in the NRC of September 16th)

Collection "Glimpsed"
May 2024 · 307
[ Girls are looking so ]
Zywa May 2024
Girls are looking so

enigmatic, smiling, and --


in expectation.
Novel "De opdracht" ("The Mission", 1995, Wessel te Gussinklo), chapter (1-) 2

Collection "Glimpsed"
May 2024 · 453
[ This black hole in time ]
Zywa May 2024
This black hole in time,

the accident, will be filled --


with my memories.
Novel "Buiten is het maandag" ("Outside, it's Monday", 2003, J. Bernlef), chapter 6-4

Collection "Being my museum"
May 2024 · 369
[ It's our secret bed ]
Zywa May 2024
It's our secret bed,

there in the dark, where we live --


dreaming together.
Poem "Nagmaal" ("Communion" [sacrament], 1979 (2001), Breyten Breytenbach), written in prison

Collection "Within the walls"
May 2024 · 257
[ For sale on the fair ]
Zywa May 2024
For sale on the fair:

brain transplants to your liking --


Choose your memories.
Story "De achtbaan" ("The roller-coaster", 1953, Belcampo)

Collection "Being my own museum"
May 2024 · 233
[ I go out and look ]
Zywa May 2024
I go out and look

around my house as if it --


has to be cleared out.
Diary "De dood heeft mij een aanzoek gedaan - Over dood, leven en liefde" ("Death made me a proposal - About death, life, and love", 2010, Kristien Hemmerechts)

Collection "Being my own museum"
May 2024 · 402
[ At the junk dealer ]
Zywa May 2024
At the junk dealer

I write, of course, life stories --


of the furniture.
Novel "Buiten is het maandag" ("Outside, it's Monday", 2003, J. Bernlef), chapter 2-2

Collection "Being my own museum"
May 2024 · 227
[ A waste bag bulging ]
Zywa May 2024
A waste bag bulging

with plastic is cut open:


the seagull's stomach.
Poem "Skip Fûgel Lân" ("Ship Bird Land", 2019, Eeltsje Hettinga)

Collection "Being my own museum"
May 2024 · 387
[ I wrap myself up ]
Zywa May 2024
I wrap myself up

in my poem, to show me --


show my open wounds.
Poem "Schizophrenia" (2016, Ghayath Almadhoun)

Collection "Being my own museum"
May 2024 · 208
[ Home is: where you live ]
Zywa May 2024
Home is: where you live.

We are not from a country --


but from our childhood.
"On n'est pas d'un pays, on est de son enfance" ("We are not from a country, we are from our childhood", René Frégni, 2016, in the poetic short story collection "Je me souviens de tous vos rêves" ["I remember all your dreams"])

Film "Interdit aux chiens et aux Italiens" ("No Dogs or Italians Allowed", 2022, Alain Ughetto)

Collection "Being my own museum"
May 2024 · 605
[ How healthy are you ]
Zywa May 2024
How healthy are you

when you function very well --


in society?
"It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society", attributed to Jiddu Krishnamurti in "The Eden Express: A Memoir of Insanity" (1975, Mark Vonnegut), based on "Commentaries on Living - Series 3" (1960, Jiddu Krishnamurti), written in the 30s and 40s

Collection "Rasping ants"
May 2024 · 271
[ Headwind slows me down ]
Zywa May 2024
Headwind slows me down

more than I accelerate --


with that wind behind.
"verstandelijk gezichtsbedrog" ("mental delusion", 1959, Jan Hanlo), in magazine Rabarber #16

Collection "Rasping ants"
May 2024 · 489
[ Orange light at night ]
Zywa May 2024
Orange light at night,

the whole wide country whirring:


the gas field is on.
"60.000 uur - een autobiografie" ("60,000 hours - an autobiography", 1998, Gerrit Krol)

Collection "Rasping ants"
Zywa May 2024
The country: flare stacks,

from Loppersum to Tjuchem’s --


burning gates of hell.
Province of Groningen, the Netherlands

"60.000 uur - een autobiografie" ("60,000 hours - an autobiography", 1998, Gerrit Krol)

Collection "Rasping ants"
May 2024 · 538
[ I am so in love ]
Zywa May 2024
I am so in love

that I must confess to her:


I don't write poems.
Story "Dichtertje" ("Little poet", 1918, Nescio), written in 1917, chapter 2

Collection "Rasping ants"
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