let
the decomposing commence
make a cosmos together
and stick to our image
until it tilts
is our image an elm
is our image a forest
let it occur at the edges
weave closed the tears
that we can imagine
that we cannot imagine
bloom without the bones
that kept us upright
with which we went looking
while your arrows pointed
from the ground to our narrowing
change us
consume us
we will speak with strings
when words are spoiled
we promise
not to eat from the fungus
growing from our remains
In winter, Klimaatdichters formed the word laat/let with dead branches in the Doode Bemde nature reserve in Heverlee (BE). The poem laat/let was written by Saskia Stehouwer and Meliza de Vries. Translation: Margot Delaet, photo: David Martens.
The spring word alles/everything was laid out in flower bulbs by pupils from the Lubbeek primary school (BE). The authors of the poem laat alles/let everything are Will Kranendonk and Daniëlle Zawadi. Translation: Margot Delaet, photo: Sebastian Schaevers.
let everything
it is a different breathing
in a garden
in the winter
I listen without violence
to a a
woman’s voice entwined
with heather
my message rests in the rings of your eyes
didn’t I tell you that sage does not lose
her leaves
carried your body to sea
listened to your voice
always more hoarse
when you asked the spirits of the land for forgiveness
see the pressed nasturtium leaves
the seeds that lay in my garden
let everything here
the evening falls
harder and harder
the rattling movements of the poplar
the slow strokes of the rustling grasses
the sway of full racemes of golden rain
betray their nature
let everything now it is time
to lie fallow
to let be the land
if we lay down our bodies with conviction we will have no more uranium thoughts
the evening still breathing
let everything here be now let it
prevail sparingly
the green might recognize us as we are matter vibration and heartbeat
In summer, Klimaatdichters together with climate organizations, scientists and scouts, formed the word hier/here with shells in Vrouwenpolder, Zeeland (NL). The poem laat alles hier/let everything here was written by Margot Delaet and Nisrine Mbarki. Translation: Margot Delaet, video: Sebastian Schaevers.
In autumn, a large group of Klimaatdichters, concerned citizens and activists went to Hobokense Polder, where they used fallen leaves to create the last word, aarden/be grounded, completing the sentence. Charlotte Van den Broek and Sara Eelen wrote the last poem, laat alles hier aarden/let everything be grounded here. Translation: Margot Delaet, photo: Sebastian Schaevers.
Let everything here be grounded
you’re no longer sleeping
now that foliage thickens the trees
with dense matte leaves
they’re not falling, ochre-colored
you wake up tired
and dreamlike during the day
a wild tapir appears
in the middle of the silvery sedge
and the gale’s soft pink
deceives the cloudy heath
the landscape grubs
overfertilized, depraved
with pieces of polygenetic glitz, you see
the eclosion of wood whites and wall browns
and tomorrow frost is forecast
the last young runs
into the open field in broad daylight
too late
you let your eyes close
waiting for sleep, the familiarity
of leaves changing color
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