Excerpt from A Year in The Netherlands in Twelve Songs

Excerpt from 'A Year in the Netherlands in Twelve Songs'

January

A northwestern storm rages across banks

and shoals. Unrest! On the beach eggs

of sharks and rays, remains of castaways

and drownings, mostly Germans most, 

natives do not drown, at least not here

in this stretch of sea, we do not venture. 

Rain beats against windows, thunderstorms, 

Hail, packs of snow and in winter mice and

their brood rustle through the warm straw

of a deer camp safely inland. Wind tugs at

the roof tiles and wipes out our footsteps,

sweeps broken shells on the tide line together,

the claws of crabs, dead starfish, razor blades,

foam, wreckage of ships unrecognizably mutilated

by salt and sea. Green remains of nets and bones.

Author: Enno de Witt

On OMPJ 

Photo Credit: Jasmin Schreiber on Unsplash