ANGEL IN DISGUISE
(Arranged at random)

The love of angels
resembles that of children –
it knows no limits.

Tap in to the power
that is yours – reach down
into your own deep roots.

To love and to be loved
by those we love
is a gift beyond compare.

Let’s be kind to ourselves
and remember:
‘Happiness comes from within.’

Dankbaarheid helpt me
door lastige situaties
waar niets anders werkt.

Eliminate
every negative thought
about everyone you know.

You are a meadow
of scented flowers
where I’d love to lay my head.

Imagination does a lot.
It gives me what I haven’t got.
You.

‘To love’ and ‘to be in love’
are options
for normal, sensible people.
Beyond that is ‘addiction’,
which is punished with blindness.

A man needs three women
in his life – a wife,
a lover and a friend.

Cool session with Gals.
‘Stick your chest out!’
Els tells me.
‘He hasn’t got one,’
Selena quickly answers.

Guess I’ll never
fold you in my arms,
enjoy the pleasure of your charms.

I suppose you must like me.
Or why do you always give me
tea with smiles, water and soup?

O fuck!
I’m made to find
women attractive.
I cannot resist them.

There is no such thing
as guilt. Sin was invented
by unhealthy minds.

Rejoice exceedingly.
You are alive and sober.
A new day dawns.

Another day with Maria,
a miracle in itself
for which I’m grateful.

Nothing will get
on top of me today.
My mood will be optimal.

Only Nembutsu
guarantees me constant
joy and satisfaction.

Go on, Els! Laugh me to death
and smile me back to life
in the next breath.

Women can be strange.
They’ll do anything to hide
their feelings for us.

In the Land of Bliss
all Nature whispers
Namo Amida Butsu.

Wisdom, compassion
and kindness to myself –
a whole field to explore.

‘Seek the Way,
hold firmly and do not retreat,’
the Sutra urges us.

The Way consists
of letting go of everything
except Nembutsu.

We bereikten niets
tot dat we onze oude denkbeelden
volledig opgaven!

Make only the essential effort
and happiness will be granted.

Convinced that it’s asthma,
darling Maria
rushes to the doctor
and comes home with two puffers.
Eunice is in the picture.

I feel a hundred
this brand new autumn morning
crawling to the bathroom.

Your body
is eminently caressable.
An invitation.

You devour me
with your beautiful big eyes,
swallow me in one go.

Can you imagine
how your wiggly little bottom
excites this wolf?

It’s when you meet Someone Else
who is always right
that you have struck gold.

Start work on your last book
at home, and give Poor Els
the break she deserves.

You are ‘beautiful and true’,
Els, you fit
John Keats’s definition.

How must it feel
to be madly admired
by somebody twice your age?

I finally gave her
the poem I wrote in June.
It won’t kill her.

The Sun of her Sign
now transits my Neptune.
I’m dizzy with delight.

‘What’s going on here,
I would like to know?’
‘Don’t worry, Sam,
she’s pure as the driven snow.
I haven’t even touched her
with my little toe.’

Every inch of her pleases me,
and especially when she moves.

And when she smiles at me,
O god, there’s no escape.
She quickly knocks me into shape.

Calmly in control,
that’s what you are
behind your panini bar.

What other people think
about my love-life
is the least of my concerns.

Make time work for you.
Enjoy every moment.
Don’t give a damn.

September ’18.