Ik haat die straat

I hate that street
A street full of dead old trees
Where nothing else wants to grow
But a patch of poisonous weed
Sometimes my walk unintentionally leads me there
I find myself there again unnoticed
It's a street so godforsaken
So impoverished and desperate
That all hope and light are taken from you there
It's the street paved
With the abandoned fight
And with the shards of shattered dreams

I hate that street
Because I have to keep looking
At those dreams and expectations
That have fallen apart
Millions of wishes and desires, big and small
That seem so pointless and childish here
That sight contrasts so sharply
With everything I still want
And with my own dreams, unwilling to give way

I hate that street
Sometimes I see shards and pieces
That resemble expectations and dreams from my youth
That I had looked forward to for years in vain
But that upon closer inspection could never succeed
Because sometimes you strive for things
That life doesn't have in store
And that you better resolutely suppress
I hurry on, because if I stop
I'll surely pick up some shards
You should never bend down for shattered dreams