part of history, present & future 
we are not a product of ourselves  

only fifteen generations & less than 300 years ago
there were already more than eight thousand persons
a small fraction of your ancestors
all family

they lived around the globe
they had their own talents, shortcomings, manners, problems & humor
they felt in love &  made love
not aware of their importance
(for you)
&
not aware of today, of the person
of which they would be a part of
sending their genes in our future
together with more than eight thousand others
they would create
a new human
like you 

the past have affected us
made us
&
every step we make, thought we have
will change the future
for all of us
you, our children & me

ca. 1960

Netherlands, Amsterdam
Rosali & Henk
gave me life
Rosali would gave birth to me, in the summer of nineteen sixty-six
on the first of July

 life has always been an adventure to me

as a child
when I was eight, I often left home in the morning with a small backpack
“to travel around the world”
walking through the forest, exploring my surroundings
looking for borders, crossing them
fortunately, I never lost my way 
coming home a few hours later, with stones, leafs & other small things I found
my “journey around the World” 
had been successful

 in the time of my adolescence
again I was looking for borders & crossing them
but now I lost myself on almost every trip
I didn’t found the stones, the leafs & other precious small things

as a “grown-up”
for years I searched for expensive stones
crossed borders & "luckily?" found them
but they could not satisfy me anymore
 as the “simple” stones could, satisfying the child of eight

just now I am starting to realize
while I’m traveling through 
the Art of Life
I don't need to search

just walk 
live
&
 feel those wonderful stones by every step

just be silent
within our borders
to see inside & outside
those everlasting magnificent leafs