Post photo: Workaholic | © Shutterstock
After realizing that a supposed poem Rainer Maria Rilkes, which has been circulating on the internet for a few years, actually by Lars van Rome I immediately bought his book of poetry. Van Rome's poems are written fresh from life and cover a few decades of life history - so it is easy for the contemporary to indulge in their own memories. All in all, a volume of poetry that is always a pleasure to pick up and that is good for surprises even when read repeatedly.
Workaholics
With work it is like this on earth:
it can become a vice very quickly!
You don't know the flowers that smell
you can only work and toil!So they go, the most beautiful years,
Lars van Rome
until finally you lie on the stretcher,
and behind you, death grins:
"Smashed, you idiot!"
Lars van Rome According to his own statements, he wrote the poem in 1979-1980, but his corresponding manuscript dates back to 1991.
If this poem whets your appetite for more, then van Rome would be delighted if you bought his book of poems, Unfeine Gesellschaft, which also includes the above poem.
I had also published the poem on another website in a collection of poems I maintain, where it was the most read poem in the collection from 2014 to 2017.
"I suppose I have a really loose interpretation of 'work' because I think that just being alive is so much work at something you don't always want to do. Being born is like being kidnapped. And then sold into slavery. People are working every minute. The machinery is always going. Even when you sleep."
Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (1977: 96)
Dear Mr. Kümmerle,
Thank you very much for the "flowers". - The novel is off to a good start. The response is great. Have a good weekend to you. larsvanrome@ewe.net
Dear Mr. Kümmerle,
I would like to thank you very much for your publication of "WORKOHOLICS" and send you the link to my new NOVEL "My long trip to India".
Unfortunately, AMAZON does not have my book in stock at the moment, which is a pity, since many readers were interested in my novel and wanted to buy it there.
I would be extremely grateful for an occasional review!
I'll be happy to keep you informed of the results.
Sincerely yours,
Lars van Rome
Dear Herr van Rome, congratulations on your new novel!
I'll add your novel to my wish list of books to read. You are welcome to keep me updated. By the way, your book of poetry is still on one of my bookshelves.