maitena

My favorite comics are by Maitena (i am not always serious!) She is an artist from Argentina and slowly the world is discovering her. Her comics are typical feminine, like looking in a mirror and absolutely funny.
I wish i could put one of her drawings here, but you know already about my limited skills on computer. So i tell you the joke, just imagine 2 aging women, one (lady 1)with a cigarette in the hand (bah!) and one (lady 2)with pink sunglasses.


lady 1:" Because of Pancho i discovered that you can live with someone without losing your independency. He knows i adore him, but still i go out when i want and i come back when i want."
lady 2:" And what does he say then????"
lady 1:" ..... woof!"

Have a nice weekend! Go for a nice walk and take your husband and Pancho with you!

first poem

My dear father passed away in 2005, but he is still very much part of my everyday life. He gave me so many things, like my love for poetry to name only one.
On my 10th birthday he gave me a "poesie" a little book where my friends were supposed to write a poem in for me. Most of them just made a drawing and put their name in it.

But not my dad! He wrote a real poem for me. And though it is one of my hidden treasures, i want to share this with you. I know it is not the best poetry and certainly it is a terrible translation (sorry), but for me it is worth the Nobelprize, if not for literature then definetely for father's love.


As stars that are shiny and bright
polished by a little angel divine.
So has to be your little soul
immaculate and always pure.
This is what we are hoping both
your dear mother and your father.

poësie

a special poem

i owe it to Anoop Ji to post a poem today since it is Poetry Day. It is a very special poem written by a young Nigerian poet Chris Albani.
He won the Freedom- to-write award and the Prince Claus award.
His poems are written in prison, written with blood (given by his fellow prisoners). Most of his poems are raw, they cut through your flesh and heart, i will not post these. If you want you can find these poems, i post a milder one, but still ...


EPIPHANY


An artist
I
hang all hope for redemption
on ephemeral incandescent dreams.

Roping faith into filaments of light
I climb on sunbeams
into the very eye of God

mrs;Bhandari's guesthouse in Amritsar

all the time on my mind

read in Pingalwara

Shall I leave?

by Toon Tellegen

Shall I become sad and leave?
Shall I at last find life for once
unimportant, shrug my shoulders
and leave?
Shall I put the world down (or give it
to someone else), think:
that's enough,
and leave?
Shall I look for a door,
and when there is no door: shall I make a door, open
it very carefully
and leave- with little gentle steps?
Or shall I stay?

Shall I stay?

Poetry Day 25-01-2007

On 25th of January it is Poetry Day (Poems Day= gedichtendag) in Flandres and the Netherlands. i could have shared a beautiful poem written in English, but i will not, because in this linguistic aerea there are some really good poets too. i want to share two of the best with you.
The first poet is Ted van Lieshout (check his website, please, there is a english section). I choose a poem out of his latest children's book, which won the Silver Slate Pencil this year. The book and the poem have (in Dutch) the same title.


Mum! What have you done with happiness?


Mum, what have you done with
happiness? I put it
here and now it is gone!

You left it somewhere lying
around or it is stolen or
maybe you've thrown it by accident.

Who steal my happiness?

Who wouldn't?

doomsday clock

In Dutch we say it is 5 minutes to 12, when we want to point out that something is very urgent. And we really are on the brink, reading the "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" we know it is very urgent; humanity is in great danger. They put the doomsday clock on 5 minutes before 12 o'clock.
There are 2 reasons for their (and our) worries:

- there are more and more nuclear weapons in this world (26.000 of them in USA and Russia), the security of this nuclear material is not 100%

- drastic climatchange

- there might be a 3rd reason by biotechnology


In France L'Alliance pour la Planéte urges us to give the planet a break, if only for 5 minutes.

So on 1st of FEBRUARY there is this action of all civilians against the climatchange, by turning off our lights for only 5 minutes from 19.55 o'clock till 20.00 o'clock.

It is not long, it does not cost us anything, but it must make it clear to the politicans that climatchange has to be on the agenda!!!!!

Why on the 1st iof February?
Because on that day the report of the climatological experts of United Nations will be presented. So we have to let them know that we are aware and that we want some action taken.

It is 5 minutes before 12!
So don't forget to take part in this action, our planet deserves this!

moving

to leave a house

one moves a home

the sound of wrapping years

Wheelie

Sorry, i have been silent for a long time.
It is about time i am updating, but where do i start there is so much to tell. Okay, i will tell what made me really happy this week.

First i have to explain, we are about to move. Date of moving delayed twice because of health problems and they are the reason in the first place why we move to another place. My little car (Fiat Panda) is actually a great car, once the back seat is flat i shifted complete villages of Punjabi's and there stuff. So we use it for bringing over the smaller things and like a busy bee (it is a yellow car...)it goes from one place to another. Usually i am listening to kirtan and lately Snatam Kaur is almost on every time.
Now because this car is so practical, my husband uses it it too. Did i ever introduce my husband? No, well he is a really (wheelie, thank you fgt)nice man, but my wheelie big problem with him is that he is a non believer. Of the very hard sort. That made me very sad by times, but now i came to except it. Things are like they are...
So to my great suprise, suddenly he was singing along with Snatam Kaur!!! Full Mool Mantra! You read well: full Mool Mantra! I was so happy...
I know it is not going to change him, he is not going to convert or wear a turban suddenly, i know, i wheelie know. But for me, it counted.
It was like a little miracle. I know the power of the word, the power of The Word. Very often i am sitting in gurdwara, not able to understand everything, but just the same i am deeply touched by the wonderful Bani. And now this Word has touched my hubbie.
I looked at him, wanting to say something about what i felt. But i knew i was pushing my luck, so i kept silent and let the Word do what had to be done.
Thank you Snatam Kaur!