Operation Amsterdam
1997 & 1998
























Following footsteps
I walk streets graced by Rembrandt
To catch his shadow
*
Balancing bridgeways
Over watery highways
Cobble stoned byways
*
Coffee, freshly brewed
Rijksmuseum, van Gogh too
Mind that! Sidestep poo!
Wet Streets, silver lines
Hand rolled cigs (but not Woodbines!)
Red lights, neon signs
Bike bells ring, trams clang
No mistaking where I am
Back in Amsterdam!
*
Drowning in God’s tears
‘Hiroshige’ sightseers
Splash through Dam Square weir!
Thunder! Lightning strikes!
Heavens open filling dykes
Wet me, dodging bikes!
*
Circular city
Ringed like a slice through a tree
Defying the sea
Enthralling, vibrant
Fills me, the short stay migrant,
With great excitement
Galleries galore
Filled with paintings I adore
To study and draw
Dimly lit and brown
Bars filled with conversation
Thrive throughout the town
Bric-a-Brac, knitwear,
Markets in the open air
Pop up everywhere
I mean no cliché
When I say, I hope I may
Soon return one day
*
Canalside houses
Echoes of Golden Ages
Lean on strong neighbours
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