The Old Ways

The old ways are the beaten tracks
The well-worn paths trodden down
by the same footsteps

They are anchored in gone days
Safety nets for just in case
But they never really bring far
As they go round and round
The repetitive circles
The loop in your brain

Until you learned your lessons
And you step your way out
onto a new path

©RoseGirl2019

A Lot To Hide

You tried to hide your beauty,
the treasure of your heart

You barked like a dog
Showed your teeth
Dropped your shit
Jumped around
and ran like crazy

And I looked at you in awe
And could only see
how beautiful you are
for you have a lot to hide
if you act like this

©RoseGirl2019

Who Are You

Who are you
Is it what you were told
What people project on you
The words they give you
How they describe you
The image you have

Are you what you think that they think of you
What others want you to be
What you want yourself to be
Their expectations or your own

Or are you what you know
in your heart
The truth in your soul
And what the eyes of love
have reflected you?

©RoseGirl2019

You Flame In My Soul

You are in me
like I am in you
through the love we breathe
and that our hearts beat
through our veins

Through the words we write
The melodies we hear
The dreams we dream
The thoughts we think
The future we taste

Through what we know
What we create
Through what we have seen
And what is our fate

You flow through my body
You dance in my heart
You sound in my song
You fly in my mind
And you flame in my soul

©RoseGirl2019

The Tea Glasses

I met Jamal at the biggest refugee camp
of Europe, where I volunteered
They had put up tents
in the middle of the forest in Holland
to host 3000 refugees

After a horrible journey
Jamal had just escaped from the war in Syria
He was a middle-aged man
who had lost everything:
his home, his wife, his children
and his family

I invited him to have dinner at my place
He came together with another refugee and his child
They hardly spoke any English
We ate in silence

They all were very traumatized
The small child couldn’t play no more
And even the candy and the toy car
I had bought for him
Didn’t give him reason to smile

I gave Jamal my phone number
and told him that he could call me
whenever he needed help

A week later on a Friday night,
the phone rang
It was Jamal and he was completely panicked
I first needed to calm him down
And it took a while
before I could understand
what was going on
In his panic he had lost
all his English words

It turned out he had taken a bus
as he wanted to go to the city centre
but he had taken the wrong one
And now, he was in the middle of nowhere
He didn’t know where he was
And how he could come back
to the refugee camp

It took a while before I had figured out
where Jamal was
But then I immediately jumped in my car
to pick him up
He was beyond grateful

And then a few days later
the phone rang again:
‘Marieke, sorry, please, you come?’
I jumped in my car
to drive to the camp
as I thought there was another problem
that needed to be solved

But when I arrived Jamal smiled
he handed me a present
With his last money
he had bought four tea glasses
to thank me

The tea I drink from those glasses
somehow tastes different
As it fills me with deep gratitude
And then I realize what is truly important
And how we humans
are all connected

©RoseGirl2019

My Like

I wanted to react to your post
But I couldn’t find an emoticon
That would express:

‘I love you, I support you, I adore you,
I’m proud of you, I see you, I hear you
I appreciate you’

So then I just hit the like button
But please know
that my simple like
means all of the above

©RoseGirl2019

I Miss You

Missing you
can sometimes
hit me so hard
it takes away my breath
it squeezes my heart
it panics my mind

And then
I run for my words
to fill the
‘missing you’ gap
to build a bridge
And to find
you back
at the end
of my poem

©RoseGirl2019

My Hyperactive Great Grandmother

We called my great grandmother
‘grandma bus’
She always sat behind the window
And when a bus passed by
She hysterically yelled at us, small kids,
‘There is a bus!’
And there were busses every few minutes

My great grandma yelled, screamed, talked very loudly all the time
Since she was half deaf
And besides of that, she was hyperactive

Even at the age of 96
She stood in the middle of life
She wanted to know about everything
and seemed never tired
Every time when we had visited her
we as kids were completely worn out

She liked to watch soap operas very much
‘The Bold And The Beautiful’ was her favourite
And even on her death bed
she wanted the television to be turned on
So she wouldn’t miss a single thing

They asked her if she could accept
that she would die
She said she could
She had had a good life
and she believed heaven and the Lord would wait her

The only thing that was really a pity:
she then wouldn’t know no more
how ‘The Bold And The Beautiful’ would continue
And if Ridge and Taylor would finally come together

©RoseGirl2019

The Ticking Clock

Never before had I seen
a man with so much grief.
When my grandmother died,
she left my grandfather behind
helpless and devastated

I was a student in my early twenties
and I then made a commitment
I made of Friday grandpa day
Every week I travelled three hours
to be with him

His tears kept flowing
He complained that everyone
had let him down
How he was all alone
And that I had again brought the wrong groceries with me

In the small living room
with big brown oak furniture
I listened to him
while he smoked
one cigarette after another

My grandmother looked at me
from several pictures
Her slippers were still underneath
the coffee table
Her keys in the bowl
in case she needed them again

Nothing had changed since she left
Like she could come back any minute
Only the ticking of an antique clock
reminded me of the fact
that time existed

My grandfather got sick
The grief turned into a physical disease
A cancer in his intestines
That grew and grew
As his tears flowed and flowed
And spread itself through his body

It then was grandpa day twice a week
In the half dark
I sat with him for hours and hours
In silence, with only the sound of
the antique clock ticking
He felt too sick to talk

I learned the value of presence
without any words
the value of unconditional giving

And one day he suddenly
whispered to me:
‘Please tell me all about heaven.’
I told him about it and said that his wife would be waiting there
And that they would be reunited

He whispered ‘thank you’
Tears lit up in his eyes
while he smiled
And then the silence returned
Never before had I felt so close
to him

And one day I got a phone call
that his end was near
When I arrived and entered the room
my grandfather had his eyes closed
‘Who is there?’ he asked the nurse
‘It is Marieke’ she said
He smiled, his voice weak
‘Oh it is the angel,
she was sent to me from heaven.’

A few hours later
the clock stopped ticking

©RoseGirl2019

Drifting Sand

You came to visit me in my dreams
last night
Your eyes were sad
and your heart weighted
heavily on you
You could not move

I was glad you were there
And like a cat
I cuddled up to you

Your skin absorbed me
We drifted into one another
like sand
And you were brought back
in motion
by the touch of our skin

And when I woke up
You were gone
but on my cheek and my neck
I could still feel your touch
Until it drifted away
like sand

©RoseGirl2019

In My Heart

I feel you so strongly
in my heart these days
Is it your longing
for me that pulls you in?
Like you’ve found
your home there
and you have no intent
to ever leave

And is it my longing for you
that lit the home fire,
the light that your eyes
sought in the dark?

And that wants you to stay
forever in my heart

©RoseGirl2019

What’s On The Menu

What’s on the menu
in our restaurant of love

Do you want it spicy
and really hot
Or sweet and sugar-coated
Fresh, surprising,
Nourishing or
juicy and full-flavoured

We can have an appetizer
Or go directly
to the main course

Do we drink champagne
or passionate, red wine

Do we eat slowly
or jump head over heels
on fast food

Do you want me to taste
your songs one by one
On my lips and on my heart
I will feed you my
poetic words
and will let you swallow
my melodies of four stars

And then
do you want a dessert
to cool down
Or do we go for
another round?

©RoseGirl2019

See also: In The Chinese Restaurant

Faith

The white mill stands
like a white church
among the clouds

It connects
heaven and earth
Its reflection caught
in the water

Its wings will be turned
like a wheel of fortune
in the wind
By the gentle hands of angels

Change and movement
will come soon
Stay strong
and have faith

©RoseGirl2019

* Photo taken in Arnhem, The Netherlands.

And We Look Up

And we both look up
I see the stars and moon
And you on your side of the world,
you see the sun

See my face, my smile
in the rays of light
Feel my love for you
in its warmth
And let it shine
upon you

I will see your splendor
glow in the moon
And the stars shine out
your love for me

Please let us both
keep looking up
We say our prayers
Make our wishes
upon the stars and
heaven’s grace

For all good comes
from above

©RoseGirl2019

I Heard A Scream

My fairy man,
Is it you there
lying on the ground
in the woods
You left yourself for dead
In your eyes the silent imprint
of grief and loss

I came to look for you
As I heard a scream
echoing in my heart
in the middle of the night
And I didn’t know
if it was me or you

But here I am,
your fairy woman
I kiss you alive
I dress your wounds
and warm you at my fire
You have to get up yourself
But here is my hand

©RoseGirl2019

Love Refugee

You left your place
And now it’s all empty
Were you that scared
and anguished
that you did not even
closed doors?

Did it all overwhelm you
were you too naked
behind open windows
and in the light of the sun?

Did you feel sad and anxious
Your home not your home
Your mind that chases your heart
And you just started to run?

But come,
find a shelter, here in my arms

©RoseGirl2019

Flying Birds

The bird flies in the open sky
And with every beat
her wings get stronger

She learned to sing
her own songs
The wind amplifies
the tunes of her words
that stream from her heart

And sometimes
She still longs back for the land
Where she can hide in trees
Where no one can see her
As the open sky makes vulnerable
and those on the land
can shoot or can withhold
their appreciating eyes

And over there in the distance
behind the fog bank
She cannot see him yet
But she knows,
there flies her beloved
As he took flight at the same time

Still he hides
And just like her,
sometimes he returns to the land
But his heart song gets stronger
And he trusts his wings
more and more

Both birds face their fears
Until they will be ready
to dare to fly
through the fog bank
and to each other
on the other side

©RoseGirl2019

Can You See

Can you see
Now the curtain
has been pulled back
All that blurred your eyes
has been removed
And illusions have been lifted

Can you see
Now all that mattered
does not matter
no longer
Your heart has clear sight
Focus has shifted

Can you see
Me?

©RoseGirl2019

The Chinese Restaurant

And in the Chinese restaurant
we are the only ones
that are left
The place is empty
And it is just me and you,
the red dragons and
exotic sounds in the background

The characters on the wall,
We do not understand
We are strangers here
And outside seems far

The food is hot and spicy
And your eyes shoot fire
In the half dark

Come, let’s go
For this restaurant is not for us
If you have tasted
the flavours of true love,
Then such a place
will only
feed hunger more

©RoseGirl2019

See Also: In The Chinese Restaurant

See also: What’s On The Menu

Art Meets Art

When my poem meets yours
When your song meets mine
When words and melodies first
shyly look each other in the eyes
But then come closer,
start to dance,
entwine and merge,
They burst
together into a new poem,
a new song
And then out of creation,
creation is born

©RoseGirl2019

Once There Were A Man And A Woman

And then there was a blank page
A new story to write
Fresh poetry, new lines
At the start of a new year

But the main characters
are still
the man of song that lives overseas
in the land of the sun
And the woman with the rose
in her hair
that dances in the land of the fields and the waters

And the ink that flows
from my pen
still stems from the well
of their love

©RoseGirl2019

I Want You To Dream

Lyrics of the song (Video of the song + Happy New Year below)

A kiss on your forehead
My hands hold your face
My heart holds you in love
Until the end of days

Now close your eyes
You’re gonna fly
High up and far
On the wings of love

‘Cause I want you to dream,
to dream, to dream, to dream
Dream yourself free
From the monsters in your head
From the demons and the fears
From your worries and your past

And then, you will land
Here next to me

And if your heart feels heavy
And its weights pulls you down
Then remember you are light
For love you were born

‘Cause I want you to dream,
to dream, to dream, to dream
Dream yourself free
From the monsters in your head
From the demons and the fears
From your worries and your past

And then, you will land
Here next to me

©RoseGirl2018

Your Lady

My beautiful man in suit,
I am your lady of the night
In this chic, vintage bar
With dimmed light

I am your moon
My face, my eyes light up
softly in the dark
My mystery will reveal itself
only to you

Elegantly I will dance you around
In my waters I will take you
In my kisses you will find the stars
That one by one fall from heaven
and land delicately on your skin

Please don’t be afraid of the dark
As my light will shine you through

©RoseGirl2018

Touch

I touch your chest
softly with my fingers
I do my magic
and make
all your stored heartbreak
disappear

I touch your forehead
and stroke away
your clouds and
your mind based fears

And then my fingers
will find their way
on their own
to all the parts
that need to be touched
and that ask
for a little bit of magic
of my hands
that like to touch

©RoseGirl2018

The Wild West

Previous: For G. -Gangsters In Love

Hey G! Man, are you still alive!
I know things have been fucking hard
You said life is a poker game
But actually it’s more a rollercoaster ride

It’s not about waiting for the winning hand
No man, it’s about how to survive the next loop
When you have been turned
completely upside down
And shaken to the core by all those G-forces of emotions

It’s the fucking wild west!
And we don’t have cute, romantic my little ponies
No, we have untamed horses to ride
So G, put on your Texas cowboy hat
We have our weapons of love
And we are going to shoot all
the monsters we make up ourselves

Because G, my gangster mate,
my lover in crime,
We need to claim our land
You know what is yours, I know what is mine
And G. by the way, man, I do confess
I still fucking love ya!

©RoseGirl2018

No Way Back

There is no way back
We can only move forwards
The roads of the past have been closed behind us

Friendships are gone
Things have been thrown
Contracts dissolved
Ties have been loosened
Although we might mourn
Lighter shall we go
And brighter our future
together will be

©RoseGirl2018

Things From The Past

In the attic I sorted out
things from the past
There were old pictures, old letters
And all kind of objects
that have memories tied to them
– I always stored a lot

I went through different periods
of my life
And nostalgia, sadness and pride
caught me
I wanted to let go, I wanted to throw
the things that don’t serve me no more

But then, all of a sudden, I got scared
And I wanted to hold, I wanted to keep
Like yesterday grasped me by my ankles
And begged me to still have its feet
firmly in my today

I realized that memories
are not in those objects
But are stored in mind and heart
And the only way to move forwards,
and to be free, is to let go

©RoseGirl2018

There Is No Kingdom Lost

There is no kingdom lost
As in fact, the king went never far
He thinks he left and all is gone
But on his head there’s still the crown
In his heart there is the throne
Before his eyes there is the queen
Just his mind runs in a hamster wheel
If he would only keep still
Then he would remember
Who he truly is
And he would see
That he’s still in the middle
of his kingdom

©RoseGirl2018

Earth Angels

Like earth angels
we came flying from above
To sing our heart song
And scatter our
melodies of love
upon the world

And one day when it’s time
We will leave again
We will fly back together
into the realm of forever
While on earth
the echo of our love
will still be heard

©RoseGirl2018

The Innocence Of True Love

We are facing each other
and we undress ourselves
One by one we unclothe
from everything
that is not of love

I am your mirror
You are mine
In the mirror we see
From which pieces we need to undress

There are the pieces of image,
of too much ego
The pieces of fears,
Of codependency and neediness,
Of experiences from the past
The pieces of walls
that have been built
We rip it off from our bodies
As our natural state
is to be free and to be
open to each other

Until we are naked,
We are back ourselves
And we are just as innocent
as our love

©RoseGirl2018

Listening

Tell me all about you
I want to know
What’s on your heart

I want to know about your hopes
Your dreams
The visions you have
I want to know about your tears
Tell me all your stories
What has driven you
Tell me about your shadows
and your fears
Your past, your present
Your struggles, your battles
Your rage, your anger
Your joy and your laughters
I want to know what’s in your body
Is there tension
or relaxation
Is there pain somewhere
I want to know what’s on your mind
about the dark clouds,
the happy thoughts,
the ones that are stuck

Tell me all about you
I will just sit by your side
And will silently listen

©RoseGirl2018

Courageous Rose

Courageous rose in the winter cold
With your heart open to catch
a little bit of sunlight
Fearlessly you bloom yourself up
And add colour to the grey, dark December sky

Nothing can prevent you from
showing your beauty
Rose of love,
Rose of me and you
May no one that sees,
no one that reads, ever forget
about your pure,
heart naked strength

©RoseGirl2018

Forever Means Forever

It doesn’t matter
What lies behind us
Where we are right now
Or where the journey will take us
How many questions we might have
Even if we don’t have all the answers
If oceans need to be crossed
If waves need to be surfed
If worlds need to be conquered
If 5652 miles are in between
What has been said
If words lack
Or silence speaks
Because forever means forever
And we have this sacred bond

©RoseGirl2018

I Will Love You

I will love you through any wall
And right into your heart
I will love you straight through your fears
And back into peace
I will love you into love and
will love you back home

©RoseGirl2018

Empty Your Clouds

Oh girl, oh girl, there you go again
All day long you try to write your way
out of the sadness
But you cannot fight it with lines of poetry
As your tears keep catching up
with your pen

You try so hard to inspire
To be a light to the world
to yourself and your beloved
But if the waters need to flow
Just let them flow now
Let your teardrops rain down
And empty your clouds
from their heaviness

©RoseGirl2018