“Apocalyps”, Ferdinand Vercnocke, olieverf op doek, 175x120cm, 1964
Vier ruiters houden halt, de herberg wet hun zwaarden, hier vinden boog en weegschaal onderdak, zij spreken hier hun Oordeel nog niet uit, zij wikken en zij wegen nog, zij kijken en zij luisteren, het wetten gebeurt hier in de stilte van de nacht die haar grauwe mantel hier nog niet heeft afgelegd, en dan valt er een Woord, verstomming nu alom, en alle harten beven, ogen knipperen, ongeloof laat monden openvallen, de Waarheid belicht nu alle kamers, in alle hoeken verschijnt helderheid, een helderheid die zelfs de Dag niet kent.
Het Oordeel valt, de laatste Mantel valt in plooien op het gras dat door het vensterraam wel lijkt te schitteren, blauwe witte draden die gespannen hangen als een winterweb, de ruiters rechten hoog hun ruggen, zij ontvangen nu hun zwaarden vers gewet, de weegschaal en de boog, bestijgen dan majestueus hun troon:
“Er is geen Tijd meer over, want er is geen Tijd, U zal de Waarheid oplichten of hullen in inktzwarte Duisternis, het Oordeel is nu uitgesproken, was U in Liefde of in Haat, U zal het Weten, want nu wordt U berecht.”
(Watou, Het Wethuys, Kerstavond 2008)
Ferdinand Vercnocke, poserend voor zijn doek, Weerde, 1965
(France, Biarritz, Sunset @ Rocher De La Vierge & Vieux-Boucau-les-Bains, Atlantic Ocean beach, February 25th, 2009, a magic moment in front of my lens)
Sometimes we hesitate between tomorrow and today, the burden of yesterday upon our shoulders as an ocean wave, too heavy for a ride. Sometimes we hesitate upon that selfsame wave, we hesitate, we linger, we listen to the wind perhaps there is a message there before we drown in thoughts about these waves that on and on roar through our heads as a forgotten love, long, long forgotten but present, each second coming, coming and again: you see Here face in front of you, with every hand She lays upon the beach a deadly kiss, but still this wind is irresistible, is loud and clear and yet again we hesitate, shall we then sing with Her this ancient melody, written in a thousand pebbles on the shore? Sometimes we hesitate between tomorrow and today, the burden of a yesterday upon our shoulders as an ocean wave, but once the die is cast we fly, O we sing, we dance and glide, no cold can hold us back, this beach is ours and we meet our Love, we roll and turn, become the Wave, Her arms around us, gently rocking, Her voice a lullaby we recognize from first we entered, O yes, and here She is, for us only for us, and up and down we go, we roll and rock, we shout exhilarated, we enter in Her curve, She is inviting us again, again, Her wave a womb to live our lives so fast and faster still until the winter carries us above the water, we have wings and eagle like we leave the cave, invited by the Sun as if we were a newborn Star, O yes, we shine, we shine with our new Light years and years ahead, beyond all hesitation found our Love, finally Home, finally homeward bound and yes, this beach is ours this ocean now our Home, and that is all we have and all we need, there is no hesitation in this moment because this is indeed All we have, O, All we will have, All we will have eternally.
(written February 25th, 2009, on the beach during a rain shower -see the manuscript!- on the Vieux-Boucau-les-Bains beach near Biarritz, sitting on a dune, watching some surfers on the waves. I had told them I would write a poem for them while watching. After their surfing, the poem was finished and I read it to them. A magic moment!)
