JORDAAN, AMSTERDAM Poem by Anneke Brassinga

Palmgracht's colonnade, a heaven-reef the cloud shore
reaching out to, distantly oncoming, an evening sea
whose mother-of-pearl I tinged with my fiery glow now

I was welkin and revelation, radiance was I where
trembling summer verdure warped and wefted in water-
mirror-ripples, the contrailing swallows high above flitted

through warm breeze of earth's breathing - now light
began to dwindle into gloaming and I
perceived: this waiting alone has been your presence.

Translation: John Irons