Living in Babel's Tower
We're speaking in tongues in this issue of your weekly poetry booster
Ich suche
les mots, maar ze komen niet.
Sometimes, living in Babel's Tower
has me speaking in tongues.
I love it.
The kids had a break last week. And the week before. So we travelled to The Netherlands, while my better half and I also spent some days in Copenhagen. Then we returned home to France. In my first encounter with French people, I had to search for the right words to say something to them. I wanted to start in German, then English and, fortunately in time, I switched to French in my head. It was a bit confusing, but it also had me thinking of that moment I was watching some German tv recently, and had no trouble following it. In fact, it was a couple of minutes in, when I realised the show was in German, and not Dutch or English. It was only a small thing, but it brought me joy.
What are the small things that bring you joy?
Poetics of life
Living in Babel’s Tower also means living a transient life, a nomadic life, a life of hellos and goodbyes. Life is often about that, but our expat existence magnifies it. This week was one example. Friends of ours are moving out of this country, and we have to say goodbye to them. We won’t see them at the school gate every day anymore, but we will stay in touch somehow. Also this week, it was the fifth anniversary of my father’s passing. Five years ago, I had to say goodbye to him, forever. And that was okay. He was 90, had lived a full life, saw both my children coming into this world and he was ready for the end. Of course, I was sad and emotional, but I was also very much at peace. I had, and still have, no regrets about our relationship. I made sure of that.
Anyway, goodbyes are part of life. And it can be sad, but I firmly believe in what this Dutch song is all about: it’s better to lose something beautiful than to never have had it at all. Enjoy what you have. The people around you most of all.
Poetry elsewhere
While we are enjoying the beautiful colours of autumn, on the other side of the world, spring is in full swing. Our connected world makes this very visible and with this beautiful poem from
you can feel it, too. Enjoy Spring Flowers:
Marta Gazzola writes beautiful poetry, using multiple languages. Just like I tried today. She is an inspiration, and I admire her and her work very much. I hope you enjoy her poem lichtvollere thoughts.
Even if a language is your native language, you can stumble over it, and have a hard time finding the right words. The poet known as Doodleslice has a wonderful poem, written from the standpoint of an oaf. Enjoy reading Possessive.
There's a lot to be said for the expat life but it can be lonely and also disorienting at times. I attended three different high school in three different countries, same with college. My wife also moved a great deal within the US. When we raised our boys we stayed 26 years in one town in Maryland but took them traveling each summer. Now they love traveling to far flung places.
Being able to speak more than one language is a gift! Something I have never been able to do.