RIVER OF AMSTERDAM Poem by Duo Duo

November—while the night takes the city
there is only the River of Amsterdam

But look—
the oranges from my trees are on the river
swaying in the November wind
I try to close the window, it's no use
The river reverses its current, it's no use
The pearl-studded sun rises

it's no use
Doves fly off like metal scraps
The street without the boys is instantly hollow inside the river

After rainfall
the roof where snails crawl
—my country
sails up to me, slowly, the waters of Amsterdam…