GERMAIN DROOGENBROODT

COUNTER-CURRENT

Although poetry
seeks its way counter current,
it cannot change the future of man
which is uncertain and distant,
but it can sometimes be
a lifebuoy for those in danger
of drowning in that current.

***
ENLIGHTENMENT

No matter how loud the thunder,
it offers the thirsty plants
no assurance of rain.

Just as the lightning
that lights up the darkness for a moment
does not offer assurance of enlightenment.

***
PEACE

Sunlit the day
and on the green of the leaves
glitters abundantly the light.

Bees feast
on the nectar of the blossoms
while a butterfly flutters around
from flower to flower.

Even the wind
so fierce sometimes
holds its breath
as if nothing is lacking
as if there is nowhere poverty
nowhere a war.

Germain Droogenbroodt, Fragile Balance, Ukiyoto Publishing

In these short poems, Germain Droogenbroodt continues a quest that runs through much of his work: that of articulating the essential with just the right words, without excess, without ostentation.
The title is no accident. In each text, there is a contained tension between what is said and what is suggested, between light and shadow, between language and silence. It is a delicate balance, like that needed to live with depth at a time in history that is changing far too quickly.

The voice that unfolds here does not seek to impose meanings, but rather to create space for the reader to think, feel, and contemplate. The poems some verging on aphorisms, others more evocative or lyrical are organized as a sequence of meditations that engage with philosophy, politics, the passage of time, the fragility of the human condition and its transcendence.

(Edited by Silvia Pio)