The Republic of Suriname is one of the three Guianas located in the northeastern part of South America.
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In 1975, Suriname gained independence from the Netherlands, the country that — with some interruptions — ruled it as a colony for about three hundred years.
The other two Guianas are British Guiana (today Guyana) bordering Suriname to the west, and French Guiana (still a French colony and known as La Guyane) bordering Suriname’s east.
After my sudden departure for the Netherlands, leaving the country after the infamous December Murders in 1982, I have revisited Suriname several times over the past few decades.
The poems in this book reflect my feelings, thoughts, expectations, and impressions with regard to my return visits to Suriname, the country where I spent my youth until I was fifteen years old.
Below, three poems from the collection.
I Can Remember
I can remember
all too well
the night the
flag went down
that flag with
colors spread
of blue and white
and bloody red
I can remember
crystal clear
the day our
flag went up
our flag of
green and white
and red
a yellow star
I can remember
all too well
this day that
went astray
this day that
turned in ashes
burned my hopes
my dreams away.
Coming Home
Coming home ain’t easy
when the books of history
are written but not closed
when you look into the eyes
of phantoms of the past
and see that things don’t last
coming home is sleazy
when you feel like peeping
in a life not really yours
when you want to hide
don’t want to stay
but pack and run away
coming home is weird
like in those chilly dreams
where nothing is what seems.
This Land of Mine
In a land of freedom
I’d like to die
to release the bondage
of my soul
in a land of dreams
I’d like to live
to unleash the passion
of my heart
in a land of hopes
I’d like to fight
to stop the anguish
of my mind
this land of mine
I’d like to love
to use the power
of my pains
to push the blood
across my veins
to beat the rhythm
of my heart
this land of mine
that nurtures dreams
builds on hopes
and makes me free.
