“I was perfectly content in my world, and then she left it,” said the author of a novel to me this morning. Not just any novel, but a novel I am turning into a film. It all started out a few years ago as a collaboration with a well-known Dutch actress. Then, life got in […]
moreThe mussel. Would you ever consider it to be a main character in a film? I definitely wouldn’t. And still, yesterday evening I went to the premiere of one of the more intriguing documentaries I’ve ever seen.L’Amour des Mouleswas about exactly that: the mussel.The mussel’s shell is a blueish-black, the inside of it shines. It […]
moreYesterday, I was at a dinner. It was themed ‘Brazil’ for the guest of honor who came from Sao Paolo. I know the guest of honor from the past. He worked in Amsterdam, I worked in Brazil. And so our worlds kept crossing.When you separate, the web called life falls apart. Threads spread out over […]
moreMy dad wasn’t the only diplomat in our family. An uncle of mine was too, not for the Dutch but for the Americans. Somehow, my uncle always managed to get posted in war-torn countries.Children do not want to be separated from their families. When my family moved from London to Ghana, my parents gave me […]
more“You have to understand how tired I am,” I tell him, “really, very tired. I wish it to be otherwise. Some people can handle only a few hours of sleep, I -unfortunately- can’t.” He looks at me, teary-eyed. His eyes droop when he looks at me that way. Not only when he’s about to cry, […]
moreI look straight into the future that no longer exists. My little boy stands in it, with dad. They are messing around. Back then, what I saw was an older version of dad sitting at the round kitchen table eating a sandwich with his teenager son. I was around too. Probably giving the roses some […]
moreEvery city reminds you of another city. Climb the old city wall that separates the past from the present. Look as far as your eye can see, past the ruins, towards the horizon that connects the world to the skies. He is there, somewhere. As much a part of you as he is of the […]
moreExpendable. I had never heard of that word until Rambo used it. “I am expendable,” he said. I looked at his droopy eyes and felt he and I were connected. When I looked up what expendable meant, I was certain of it. He had been talking to me. So I sent him a letter. I […]
moreI know this feeling. It is a snake. It curls up my leg and into my vagina further still spits its tongue with a hiss spreads its venom. Kiss me. Kiss me kiss me kiss me. venom. See me. See me see me see me. I know this feeling. It is a candy. Bright […]
moreI know what you’re going to ask. You’re going to ask me: how do I avoid disappointment? And I’ll give you the same answer. It never changes. It was there then. And it is here now. It will still be there tomorrow. Do not – please, could you stop rolling your eyes for a moment […]
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