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Poems from the heart
by John Veldhuizen
John Veldhuizen
Short biography
John Veldhuizen was born in Amsterdam in 1933. In 1956 he migrated to Australia with his wife, where he had a multitude of jobs as a driver, cleaner, barman, real estate salesman and gardener. After 38 years he returned to the Netherlands where he now lives. In the poems the author has tried to paint a portrait of his experiences in life: nature, love, spirituality and the struggle to understand oneself and the world at large.
John died on July 18, 2024.
'Poems from the heart' online
For a while, John’s poems were listed one after the other on a single web page, but this made them difficult to find by title because the page became very long. That is why they are now organised by topic; this means there are fewer poems on each page, but the categorisation by topic is somewhat arbitrary. At any rate, this prevents them from being almost impossible to find should you wish to reread one.
The poems possess great power. John was a hidden master. Reading his poems will help you. Do look them up regularly if you like reading them, especially when you are feeling a bit down.
Contents
Nature
Sunrise - I wake up at the crack of dawn
Oceans - Their mighty waves pound our shores
Winter - I gaze across a snow-clad land
Spring - When naked trees give birth to green
Autumn - Autumn leaves and autumn wind
People
The immigrants - They sailed away in innocence
The addict - It started off in innocence
The prostitute - Behind her lit-up window
The migrant son - Born without kinfolk, born without ties
The battler - His wrinkled face and calloused hands
You (1) - Restless like the driven wind
Parting if life
The parting - As my spirit leaves the mortal shroud
Farewell to a child - Farewell the child we never knew
In memoriam - The wind comes whispering through the trees
Death - He comes to us in different guise
The farewell - Farewell the one that is no more
For whom the bells toll - The bells they toll for everyone
Journey’s end - At seventy years and ten
Life
Shadows - I've lived with death since I was born
Hate - Hate dominates the earth
The search - We leave the womb, we see first light
The affliction - Imagine life without a sound
Tears - There are tears when we laugh
Christmas - It's Christmas once again
Philosophy
Life - A child is born in innocence
Ego - It’s present when we see first light
Endless - I came without and leave the same
Why? - Why is it that man roams the earth
What? - What if this and what if that
Looking back
A journey back - As life unfolds its truth to me
Memory lane - I'm wandering down memory-lane
Memory - When twilight creeps into our lives
Looking back - When the end of the road comes into view
Memories - When the end of life comes into view
Monologue
Freedom - Sometimes at night and all alone
Loneliness - My heart is full of loneliness
Spirituality
The cleansing - Oh healing wind, come onto me
Talking to the boss - I was talking to the Lord one day
Dreams - That magic word from yonder spheres
The lesson - When born we are unaware
Love
Love (1) - Love dominates our daily life
At last - I walked the earth for many years
Happiness - I like the way you sip your wine
You (2) - Life is such a precious gift
Love (2) - We use this word a hundred times