Recreation by Bert Voeten

Recreation Twice a year we drove to the churchyard; on the 4th grave, 3rd row left of the entrance I could put flowers in a green, zinc vase while my father knelt on a prie-dieu which he had first covered with his handkerchief. The walk between the graves often took more then an hour my father paid visits to old acquaintances and talked with the man in charge about the further embellishment of the grave, the one fancied more a weeping willow the other more a rose tree in the pub opposite the churchyard (there where wooden spittoons full of wet sand, chewed-up quids and cigar stubs) we had a drink afterwards -cold brown beer from jars- and that too lasted mostly an hour because death makes one thirsty. (Original title: 'Rekreatie' - From the collection 'Een bord bekijken', 1966 - Amsterdam)

Bert Voeten [1918-1992]