Dutchcorner

Beyond the bend

2026-10-16T18:24:04.408+13:00

The prompt for Poets and storytellers United is: if an angel were to give you a message, what do you suppose it might be? Well I can imagen what I would like to ask an angel and I suppose the angels message would be:Beyond the bendI could tell you what lies beyond the stars but you would stop looking at them. Maybe you don't need to know how the spider chooses where to cast its thread,

Noise

2026-10-09T15:00:59.094+13:00

Poets and Storytellers United asked us to write about a type of noise, literal or metaphorical.NoiseWe talked,exchanged polite lines,but beneath the wordsa noise was hiding,like the hum of a washing machinewhere shirts turnbehind a glass window.They can't escape.They tumble and shake,you can only sensethe colours they carry:the black of anger,the grey of disappointment,the green of envy,

Your hands were never empty

2026-10-02T17:42:14.167+13:00

Back from overseas. I had a fantastic time in the Netherlands, meeting up with family and friends and discovering neighbouring countriesA bit rusty with writing and not 100% on topic set by Poets and story tellers United:Take a negative concept and turn it into something positive. Your hands were never emptyAnd you open your hands

The Hidden Path - poetry collection

2026-10-01T10:26:40.478+13:00

The Hidden Path - poetry collection My poetry book, The Hidden Path, still has a number of copies waiting on the shelf. Many have already found homes, and I’d love for the remaining copies to continue their journey into the hands of readers who enjoy poetry, reflection, and life’s small moments. NZ$20 plus postage - New Zealand onlyPickup available if you live in Christchurch If you’d

Among castles and crowds

2026-09-28T08:43:07.204+13:00

We have been to the netherlands for 2 months to visit family and friends. We went from there on a bus trip to several cities. The weather was amazing and there was so much to see. We had bus and boat tours and guided walks and great company.BerlinBudapestBudapest PragueDresdenViennaAmong Castles and CrowdsI mingled with the massesin

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

2026-07-31T08:43:33.833+12:00

The prompt for Poets and storytellers united is a book title I choose " On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous"On Earth We’re Briefly GorgeousAnd when you crawled out of the suffocating wreckage of life, the simple act of standing became a declaration carved in air.You showed your colours, even for a moment, like a sunset. If its colours clung to the sky forever, we wouldn't notice them at all.When

White sails fly

2026-07-24T17:26:57.878+12:00

The prompt for Poets and Storytellers United is: We’ll invite you to return to a favorite Friday Writing prompt of the past.Friday Writings #231: White Sails FlyingWhite Sails FlyWhite sails flyacross the waterlike whispers of peace.But what is peace?It is the hungry heartsin the undergrowth,their arms of rootssheltering,reaching outward,connecting.Sharing scones and wine,hugs and blown

The shape of my sky

2026-07-23T10:03:13.318+12:00

The prompt for What's Going On? is :Use mathematical terms and images to poeticize an aspect of life or experience.The Shape of My SkySometimes my mind spirals,mapping out a thousand possibilitiesfor why my life refuses to align.I thought it would be a constant,yet the variables kept shifting.Then I notice the invisible math trap:our instinct to balance every ledger,even though life rarely

Tangaroa's Letters

2026-07-16T21:04:59.051+12:00

Shared with dVerse Open Link Night #411Tangaroa's LettersNew Zealand's two islandslifted from the deep.Waves became syllablesspoken by Tangaroa,god of the sea, rivers, and lakes.He sang the ocean into being,his voice a soothing susurration,a song woven through shadowed skies,drawn gently over our heads.Grains of sand rode the breeze,carrying stories of the sea.We taste the salt upon our lips.We

The Wind whispers

2026-07-09T20:50:28.128+12:00

Shared with What's Going on Open linkPoets and storytellers united invited us to write about a body of water, real or fictional, that holds a special place in your heart.Lyttelton harbour is beautiful and special. Every week we walk in the hills above and we end up at The Sign of the Kiwi for coffee. The cafe is a place of laughter and chatter. Eric, the owner, passed away

Soliloquy of the Sky

2026-07-03T17:30:18.666+12:00

Poets and Storytellers asked us to be inspired by a painting. The local poetry group asked us to write to the prompt soliloquyRepose by John White AlexanderSoliloquy of the SkyI am mesmerised by this paintingand offer a soliloquy.Who is this ladywaking from her state of repose,hovering between stillnessand the beginning of thought?A quiet tremble rises in me,like dusk rearranging its

Canvas of freedom

2026-06-27T07:18:29.331+12:00

Poets and Storytellers United invited us to find inspiration in the following quote, by C. S. Lewis, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

When the voice of the land is lost

2026-06-25T08:31:37.878+12:00

As the NZ Parliament reviews the Conservation Amendment Bill, we face a critical choice between short-term commercial gain and the survival of our natural paradise.If you wish ; Anyone from anywhere in the world can legally make a submission to help protect this paradise from commercial development. Click the link below to make a submission before the July 13nd deadline.Make a

When the mist remembers

2026-06-19T08:28:44.668+12:00

The prompt for the local poetry group was Lost and found. So I went car keys, wallet, jacket....loveShared with DVerse Open link night 410When the Mist Rememberssunrays sneaking through the doorwitnessing the wonder of lovewe flung the windows openlet the wind whisper softnesslet music play the minstrelthe cello humming in our chestbut time tipped its hat sidewayslove stopped walking

Beads of peace

2026-06-18T08:56:45.576+12:00

The prompt for What's going on is A sanctuary withinBeads of peaceI love to snuggle into my chair with a ribbon of melody, a steaming cup of coffee, a cat curled on my lap, a quiet retreat within.I wander trails of curiosity, weaving worlds of words, stepping between pages held gently by a book’s spine, stringing luminous beads of peace.And in this hush something quietly deeper stirs. I water the

Inner Houses

2026-06-11T13:01:10.131+12:00

The prompt for what's Going on is to write a poem exploring "Openings" or "Closings."Inner Houses I was opening my door and people came in some with dirty boots, trampling through it without understanding the fragile architecture of my inner life. Some came simply to warm themselves by the fire. I let them. Our inner houses don’t need to be locked just because others are different.

Beauty Matters

2026-06-06T00:05:00.000+12:00

The prompt for What's going on is Beauty Beauty Matters The parched ground of life is thirsty, longing for meaning, searching for happiness. Are we losing beauty? Is that why the soul falls silent? Beauty is love. It speaks in tongues, the language of quiet wonder whirling in our hearts. Not the false worship of neon-lit shop windows or the god of glitter we kneel to, which may dazzle

Garden of freedom

2026-06-05T15:57:19.814+12:00

The prompt for Poets and Storytellers United is to write about a time I surprised myself. Well, I’ve had many learning differences to navigate. I’ve fallen more times than I can count. But every single time, I stood up again. And that more than anything, is what keeps surprising me.Garden of freedom &

Echoes across the stretched-out land

2026-05-29T08:16:55.067+12:00

The prompt for Poets and storytellers United is letting goEchoes across the stretched-out landI am Dutch, my soul raised from the lower lands, standing tall against the northern wind, a guardian of Germanic threads woven through ancient bone.I do not come in darkness. I rise in the pink, the red, the yellow of tulips, a crown of colour bursting through heavy clay.My heart and mind were born under

The Journey

2026-05-28T08:22:30.907+12:00

The Prompt of What's Going On is journey.I wrote several poems with this title and I recycle here one of the very first poems I ever wrote This one is from 2007The JourneyI went on a journey and stopped in Paris,Taking time to cherishthe splendid statues of yesterday.I stayed to learn French,and when I got lost in a dark allée,I uttered, “Où se trouve…?”and they showed me the wayto the Eiffel

Life is simple

2026-05-22T16:42:06.083+12:00

The prompt for the local poetry group was Public speech The prompt for Poets and storytellers United was to be inspired by a dead treeSo naturally my dead tree is giving a TED talk 😂The poem is linked to DVerse PoetsOpenLinkNight #408 Life Is Simple TED Talk by a dead

The shape of power

2026-05-21T12:15:28.636+12:00

The prompt for What's going on? is PowerThe shape of powerWhat if you lift the twilight veil and let your heartstrings unfurl Release performance release the fear of not being seenRemember: a flame forgets its light when it chases the wind Step back Sit with your breath Let life move through your emptied being like sunrays do They don’t ask they don’t take they simply touchFeel how they

The man of action

2026-05-15T11:28:16.532+12:00

The prompt for Poets and Storytellers united was to be inspired by quotes from The princes Bride. I chose "We are men of action, lies do not become us.”Music created by Suno (AI)Picture created by Copilot The man of actionThe man of action holds a quiet refusal to carry the world’s shadow. He lifts light from water as a mirror for others. The reflection may waver as life dances with reality

Dominoes of laughter

2026-05-08T08:58:00.002+12:00

The prompt for Poets and storytellers united is Inappropriate laughter. This brought up some memories.Dominoes of laughter A dull day math class my friend whispers a word, tiny, electric I look at her, a giggle she looks at me a spark jumps. Then we crack open, folding in half, sucked up into a rolling storm of laughter. Faces look up, chairs creak. The teacher’s mouth twitches as it spreads

Paper Wings

2026-04-29T10:06:00.002+12:00

A poem for Poets and Storytellers United written to the prompt "find inspiration on your bookshelf." Paper WingsMy books carry stories,lifting me on paper wingsto faraway placeswhere forests hum,where lakes hold mirrors,where skies, smartened with stars,smile. And places where wisdomrests between covers.I listen till their rootsthread through my mind,waking meto build new castlesof