A Poem by Joop Bersee

Grown Tired

Of her feet and the fire
getting cold, the lightning speaking,

not interested in words.
Creation becomes a threat,

love falling into bushes,
thistles, nettles, round spiders,

hungry. When will the gate close?
Before or after mercy?

Before or after the thief
in the night, in the garden?

Not interested in words.

Joop Bersee was born in the Netherlands in 1958 in Aerdenhout. From 1989 to 1996 he lived in South Africa where he began writing poetry in English in 1991. His poetry has been published in South Africa, England, Wales, Canada, Brazil, India (in a translation),the United States and Ireland. In 2011 he was one of the winning poets of the Dalro Award in South Africa. Currently he works for the library of a museum in Amsterdam.