Writer Between Worlds

Soulful writing about humans and places

Category: Life

  • Paradox of our existence

    That you cannot keep any of it. That is the most sadistic part of life, its sardonic grin. That you cannot keep that which you hang on to the most, that which you love the most, that which is most said to be yours. You cannot keep that which you are held most responsible for,…

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  • A touch of German humor

    Well, since I did such serious German-bashing in my last post (and my conscience has been shaken by vigorous spasms of guilt ever since…), let me make it up to them by saying that they do have occasional bouts of excellent humor. Take this guy that was on Deutschland Funk this morning, a stand-up comedian,…

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  • Prozedur über alles

    Would it be possible to write a piece about the periodic absurdity of German life? The eye-popping, mind-boggling, neuron-grilling absurdity of the bureaucratic mindset? I don’t think so. See, I can’t even come up with the right adjectives… Remember those Tom-and-Jerry cartoons where a desperate Tom pulls his own tongue, hits himself over the head…

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  • It’s time

    There comes a time when you look at the person next to you – your spouse – and you don’t know them anymore. And the really sad thing is you look at them and you don’t know yourself anymore. You look at him and you ask yourself: “Who is this person?” But you look at…

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  • Joy-less

    His face is gaunt and he stares blankly ahead. Dragging his feet up the hill to his house, he is either frowning in discontent, looking bored, or being downright spiteful and aggressive. His bubbly anger boils just under the surface. He is 5. At home he has a room full of toys waiting for him.…

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  • Kayak and jazz weekend

    The summers in Germany are damn short and rather on the cool side, at least compared to our south-east European ones. So quite often you will spend the whole month of June with your eyes glued to the weather channel desperately hoping for the good news. If summer happens to fall on a weekend, then…

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  • Heloooo, said the echo in my brain

    Ever since I have gadgets, my brain has been emptying itself of information at a worrying pace. Knowledge deserts me, it peels off my nerve cells like a facial. Everything is crammed into a mess of wires and processors nowadays, and I feel lost without my external hard drive. It is a horrible feeling. My…

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  • Love and let go

    Don’t get me wrong. I am all for love. I live for love. I used to consider it the single most splendid reason to be alive.  I have been known to plunge into it deeply, passionately, voluptuously. I have delved into its mystique. And I have given up an enormous amount of myself for love…

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  • MultiKulti auf Deutsch

    The time was 2 p.m. and the temperature was 32 degrees centigrade – in the shade. The parking lot was teeming with expensive cars whence packs of hyperactive, overwrought children irrupted. The mothers were carrying plates and salad bowls and cakes and the fathers looked as lost as they usually do. Dragging my feet across the…

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  • Shampoo and conditioning

    night & day are disengaging with the sound of grain growing. my sleep hovers over these different planets and various bellyaches are screaming their hunger – people don’t need poetry. people need bread, and paperwork, and shoes. sandwiched between convention and fear, old people just want to conform. my calling, my calling – do I…

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  • George Marlow likes it warm

    George who???, you rightly wonder. Marlow, people. George Marlow. The reason we bought a broom. I’ll give you a hint: it purrs, it meows and it likes to idle in the sun. My ex-neighbor’s ex-tomcat. His name is George Marlow. Obviously, George just wouldn’t be enough. He has to have a last name, too. You…

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  • Married with children… and traveling

    Wow, there is nothing that can bring about a change of perspective like traveling does. If you ever feel caged, depressed, trapped inside the everlasting dullness of your daily routine and hating it, take a trip. And don’t forget your kids. Somewhere, between kilometre 132 and 158, after you have changed two diapers full of…

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