They say I looked back out of curiosity.
But I could have had other reasons.
I looked back mourning my silver bowl.
Carelessly, while tying my sandal strap.
So I wouldn't have to keep staring at the righteous nape
of my husband Lot's neck.
From the sudden conviction that if I dropped dead
he wouldn't so much as hesitate.
From the disobedience of the meek.
Checking for pursuers.
......
Which one was it
that held the nails
and then hammered them
into place?
Did he hit them
out of anger,
or a simple
sense of duty?
......
When the Himalayan peasant meets the he-bear in his pride,
He shouts to scare the monster who will often turn aside.
But the she-bear thus accosted rends the peasant tooth and nail,
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.
When Nag, the wayside cobra, hears the careless foot of man,
He will sometimes wriggle sideways and avoid it if he can,
But his mate makes no such motion where she camps beside the trail -
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.
......
Have you forgotten yet?...
For the world's events have rumbled on since those gagged days,
Like traffic checked while at the crossing of city-ways:
And the haunted gap in your mind has filled with thoughts that flow
Like clouds in the lit heaven of life; and you're a man reprieved to go,
Taking your peaceful share of Time, with joy to spare.
But the past is just the same--and War's a bloody game...
Have you forgotten yet?...
Look down, and swear by the slain of the War that you'll never forget.
......
it came today to visit
and moved into the house
it was smaller than an elephant
but larger than a mouse
first it slapped my sister
then it kicked my dad
then it pushed my mother
oh! that really made me mad
......
Ik kijk in je ogen
en zie stormen
geen woorden
alleen vonken.
Je mond strak
je adem zwaar
je handen trillen
maar raken niets.
......
Ich sehe in deine Augen
und erkenne Stürme
keine Worte
nur Funken.
Dein Mund ist fest
dein Atem schwer
deine Hände zittern
doch berühren nichts.
......
I look into your eyes
and see storms
no words
only sparks.
Your mouth is tight
your breath heavy
your hands tremble
but touch nothing.
......
How does one monetize an emotion?
Trading raw truths in a marketplace of feelings,
Where every vulnerability wears a price tag,
Every confession a coin.
I lay bare my joy’s
The laughter that dances like sunlight,
And the sorrows, dark as night,
Offering them up as wares crafted from my soul.
......
They say forgiveness is for those who were wronged
But so is choosing not to forgive
You don’t have to forgive those who hurt you
In order to move on from that time
It doesn’t matter how many times
they did or didn’t hit you
It doesn’t matter how many times
they did or didn’t scream at you
......