GERMAIN DROOGENBROODT

 

GERMAIN DROOGENBROODT

Unique Amalgam

 

There is a time

where the soul descends

down to the deepest of being

to retire

of her never-ending fate

of eternity

the mind and the body

committed to the earth

unique amalgam

of memories

entrusted

to the night.

***

 

 

Untimely Leaving

 

When a sun

which knows no more dawn

dies away

in its own light,

and the night

blots out its stars,

snaps the stem,

tears the leaf.

 

***

 

Borrowed Dawn

 

With its hand of shadow and darkness

unraveled the evening

the defenseless light

unraveled the future

the magic

the borrowed dawn

pulled out of the wick

shed the oil

extinguished time.

***

 

Lonely Goodbye

 

for those who, wherever, have to die lonely

 

Chilly the room

the white walls

audible only

the echo of loneliness.

Not a tender word anymore

no warm embrace

just the time,

a leaking tap,

ticking.

None knocking at the door

nobody you expect,

no one, except death.

***

 

Todesfuge * (Corona Virus)

 

To Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Jair Bolsonaro…

 

Death, we drink you,

we drink you with our eyes,

we drink you with our ears

we drink you day by day

Deaths

no time is left to say goodbye,

no time to dig your graves

The leaders paved the road

with hypocrisy and dazzling lies

Death, we drink you,

we drink you with our eyes,

we drink you with our ears

we drink you day by day.

 

*Todesfuge (Fuge of death),

poem by Paul Celan about the Jews killed by the Nazis

 

GERMAIN DROOGENBROODT

 

GERMAIN DROOGENBROODT is an internationally well-known poet, translator, publisher, and promoter of modern international poetry. He wrote short stories and literary reviews, but mainly poetry, so far 15 poetry books, published in 22 countries. As founder of the Belgian publishing house POINT Editions, he published more than eighty collections of mainly modern, international poetry, he organized and co-organized several international poetry festivals in Spain, is vice president of the Academy Mihai Eminescu, in Romania, co-founder and advisor of JUNPA (Japan Universal Poets Association), artistic advisor of the Italian movement Poetry & Discovery, general counsel of the Chinese cultural Association Huifeng, Shanghai and founding president of the Spanish cultural foundation ITHACA. He also set up the internationally greatly appreciated project Poetry without Borders, publishing every week a poem from all over the world in 31 languages. Several famous artists made paintings and sculptures inspired by his poetry and international composers composed music to his poems. He visited countless times the Far East and studied Chinese philosophy which inspired his poetry, TAO pretend Chinese which greatly appreciate and published his poetry in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Japanese pretend his poetry is ZEN, four of his poetry books have been published in Japan, including a collection of haiku. Germain Droogenbroodt who received more than a dozen of international poetry awards as poet and as promotor of international poetry, is yearly invited to give recitals and conferences at universities and at the most prestigious international poetry festivals. He was recommended for the Nobel prize of Literature 2017.