MARIAN EIKELHOF

 

 

No Winners, Only Blood

 

Children shot straight through the head

 

What do you ask me to understand?

To call this a war

Would be too much of a compliment.

 

No winners here,

Only blood,

Lost and innocent.

 

And while the wild animals

Take over the planet,

What do we do but lean

And shut up?

 

To call this war

Would be too much of a compliment

Way too much.

 

The Other Side

 

It seems a bit odd

to enjoy my coffee, waiting

for my limousine

to drive me from airport to airport,

taking me anywhere in life,

while just around the corner—

only inches away from me,

on the other side—

your heart is bleeding

like a child

abandoned by life

in a violent world

without

airports,

limousines,

or coffee breaks.

It’s not that

I don’t know how to enjoy

this life.

I’ve breathed your love,

felt your tenderness

enlighten me.

And yet,

it still feels odd

to laugh my way through it all

while your heart is breaking,

with no hope,

no perspective,

nothing to look forward to—

just a deep pool of bitterness

only inches away from me

on the other side.

 

MARIAN EIKELHOF

 

MARIAN EIKELHOF (1963) began her poetry career in 2010, following years of dedicated political activism for peace. Her literary journey took flight when she was invited to the Cuba Poesía Festival in 2010.  From that moment on, her presence in the poetry world steadily grew. She has published A Zero Hour Contract with Life in three languages—Dutch, English, and Spanish. Readers appreciate her direct, unmasked approach to emotions, which can be both confronting and tender. While a rebellious undertone runs through her work, her style is not confined to protest—it also expresses vulnerability and hope. Marian has taken her poetry across the globe, participating in festivals in Antalya, Istanbul, Havana, Nicosia, Buenos Aires, Caïro (bookfair) and throughout her home country. In Argentina, she collaborates with editor Roberto Bianchi of Abracultura, a poetry-focused publishing organisation based in Montevideo, Uruguay. Through her words, Marian continues to advocate for peace and humanity, using poetry as a tool for connection, reflection, and transformation.