My love

The following poem was my inspiration:


My love,

On this day as grey as herring I'm writing you a letter in which the wind is blowing
and seagulls are making circles in the harbor
ropes iron wood and letters blue and white and tons of plastic
bags poles containers machines that I don't understand masts
flags windows ships coming from everywhere having been everywhere and I
don't have to ask for a thing. Everything is already here

and you know the sea you sail on her you fight with her for whatever she can miss
every ship I see here becomes a ship on which you have been
every seagull flying here a seagull you have seen and I love
you I think and I'm sure of it but how glad I am that you
already have a lover because everything is already here and how I love to long
and how I love to be alone and how I love to think that it could be
if it could


From: 'Het moest maar eens gaan sneeuwen', 2003.
Author: Tjitske Jansen


Translated by me