Flakes seem to soften everything
but I don't feel it. Hide my pain
behind scarves. Cold seeps
through my skin like memories.
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Ice Days
Bilingual poetry collection in the making
I used that strange period between the holidays to give my poetry collection "Driftwood – Drijfhout" the finishing touch. In this bilingual collection, every poem is in both English and Dutch. I did all the translations myself, but I did pay a professional, native-speaking translator to proofread the English versions.
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In the dead of winter
The earth is now too hard to bury corpses. Water cracks
in the pond, birds peck thirstily at the ice. A wafer-thin
layer of city dirt falls like snow from a red sky.
The deceptive beauty of the apocalypse.
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Segments
I remember how we used to count paving stones
between home and school. Straps of backpacks
leaving marks on bare legs.
Your arm through mine, an anchor.
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Things I fight
The unfulfilled expectations of the people
who still tolerate my presence or are willing
to pretend for the sake of mutual friends or family.
Losing battles. Bottomless glasses and nights.
Rampant prejudices that feed on nitrogen
and generalization. The inflation of compassion.
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My first publication in Canada
What do tangerines and windmills have in common? I wrote about them in two poems that got published in DarkWinter Literary Magazine, a Canadian magazine. My virtual world tour is really coming together. 😉
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A magical evening of reading poetry in the forest
What an evening! Yesterday, I had the privilege of reading during a magical event, organized by local nature organization Natuurpunt at Kiewit (Hasselt, Belgium). Surrounded by ancient creatures unfurling their almost bare crowns above me. The rain provided a fitting background concert.
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Asphalt got published by The Poetry Lighthouse
“What a better way to understand one another in this world but by the glimmering sparkle that unites us in this lighthouse?”
These are beautiful words from the editors of the Poetry Lighthouse. My poem Asphalt found a wonderful home at this creative writing community.
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Asphalt
I followed the factory spills, the fumes
of Diesel cars banned from the city center
that gathered in carpool parking lots
like civil servants at a fire drill.
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Poetry for Palestine
I'm thrilled to share that my poem, 'Fatherland,' is featured in a special issue of Homeland, a magazine published by Livina Press (Louisiana, USA). This beautiful piece of art contains poetry, creative non-fiction, and essays from writers from all around the world, reflecting on the topic of homeland. All profits go to Palestine refugees.
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Leen writes 