POETRY

Homeland

There is a dark cloud

Looming over you

Fair weather is out of sight

But I won’t forget you

Not even for a moment

Your sorrow

Your joy

Your hope

They are parts of me

Like my hands and feet

* * * *

The New World

You are a beacon

You represent hope

You embody Public Reason

But you are not without contradiction

You can be belligerent

Even a menace to humanity

As if, you need to be reminded

Who you really are

And brought back to it

Alas, you are not perfect

But you have been a good surrogate parent

* * * *

The Conflict

When your parents fight

There are no winners

They may pressure you

To choose sides

But you just can’t

One may well be

More at fault than the other

But you better hope for peace

Reconciliation and better relations

Because when your parents fight

There are no winners

-Rotterdam, Netherlands