By Arnold Jansen op de Haar
This year we celebrate National Poetry Day with the publication of two poems from our forthcoming novel Angel by Arnold Jansen op de Haar.
You love a girl but are not sure she returns your feelings, this makes you wonder am I a frog or a prince?
the burnished voice of the frog
croaking during midnight hours
fire in letter-less stanzas
the fish dreams below
a swan on the lookout
and herons painted dark
in trees of jet-black ink
a breeze blows ponds goose pimples
her moon face wears silver buttons
reflected near the water side
now is the moment
lips sing infinitely close by
stock-still the birds wait
the night owl too keeps mum
a prince is hidden
in between forget-me-nots
You are more sure and want to tell her what she really means to you.
she kissed me that day
’t was night at half two
close by the Turkish bakery
so clumsy she said
but it came from the heart
– for me personally though
it is never clumsy enough –
I had noticed her for a year
how she laughed, moved
on a hot summer evening
she said who she was
and I who I am
but not at all
enough I thought
so I should have expressed
how infinite it was
more eager than her
so tough and yet you
could giggle with her
– maybe I did –
like she used her english
funny phrase: oh man
I thought oh man
dressed in the most ironed
shirt of all times
and allure from chanel
she had a tattoo
on her right upper arm
– it’s the loveliest upper arm
in the whole world
Sound familiar? You want to comment? Great, Arnold loves to hear from you, email him or join the discussion on our forum.
Arnold, being a poet first of all, always includes a few of his poems in his novels. Actually his previously novel King of Tuzla was followed by the companion poetry collection Yugoslav Requiem. It will be the same for Angel, introduced to the world at a launch event at Paddington Library on 27 October, Arnold is already writing the poems to accompany this novel.
By the way, are you reading his columns?
