the city of
rotterdam
was laid to
rubble
in less than
twenty minutes
at the beginning
of the second
world war

it is
something
i spent
way too long
researching
to be barely
used in
a novel

but i can be
obsessed
possessed
and
that’s where i
found
piet blom

rotterdam
had always been
a stoic
unattractive
port town
and the chance
to redesign
an entire
cityscape
is a rare
opportunity

something in
piet’s cubes
sparks
the same itch
in the back
of my skull
that
chris burden
awoke
years before
the twist
of familiar
daring
yet sublimely
simple

maybe my
fascination
comes from
how this new
garden grew
from the rubble
of occupation
perhaps
the tone of
redemption
and rebirth
strikes a chord