Today is poetry day, some instances having turned it into a poetry week. It means that as well the high art of recognized and established poets (does that even exist?) is celebrated in big theaters and in beautiful locations, but also that in different venues in town there are readings. To name a few: the Botanical Garden in Antwerp, renamed ‘The poets’ Garden’, the beautiful but somewhat stuffy (because of the century old books kept there) hall of the Cultural Heritage Library, bookshops, second hand bookshops and brown cafés. Also the alternative free Radio, Radio Centraal, will have poetry and poets programmed all afternoon. I just heard them announce the reading for tonight I am part of. Eight poets will be reading. Also, within the framework of poetry day two larger poetry prizes are awarded: the Herman de Coninck prize, named after a good neo-romantic poet and the VSB Poetry prize. The sky is overcast and rains and gusty winds, veering to storm, are part of it all. I will read some older work, first published in the Litterary Magazine Gierik/Nieuw Vlaams Tijdschrift from when I was wild and maybe a bit cocky. Also more recent poems from Traces/ Sporen and from Workbook/Werkworte/werkwoorden. Being a writer for peace I’ll probably start with Vigil from the book Traces/Sporen, available at Barnes and Noble:

Vigil

How many candles did I not burn for you

for peace

The engines on the flight path

of evil

boom

in the corners of the room

           cramp the heart

in the silence of the house

I learn the language

of a new general

with a word in mind

for death of every kind

          Love and hope

          are lost in smoke