Twenty-five: Poetry 3.0

by Dieter Moitzi

"Two and five are seven-didn't we all learn that at school? Yet sometimes two and five make something else, a higher number. In fact, what we say can always mean several things, by sheer magic. Two and five can therefore result in... twenty-five. That's what will never cease to fascinate me: by using language, be it spoken, written, or even non-verbal, there's no such thing as objective truths. Meaning depends on the sender/speaker/writer as much as on the receiver/listener/reader. It's a question of interpretation, which turns out messy and subjective at its best. By choosing the simple word "twenty-five" for my new poetry collection, I am leading you down the path of interpretation. On purpose. What do you make of this word? What does it mean a) in an absolute and therefore abstract way, b) to me, and ultimately c) to you? Twenty-five-what? Am I referring to my age (hey, I hear you murmuring "You wish, mate!")? Am I talking about the length of my hand, from the wrist-bone to the tip of my middle finger (oh, how rude!)? Is it the number of minutes I've spent rollerblading in the Bois de Boulogne this morning? The number of mosquitoes I've swallowed in the process because it's a hot, muggy summer morn? Is it part of my social security number, of my secret Visa card code, of my ten-digit French mobile number? Well, you know what? I'm not going to tell you. And I'm not going to interpret my poems for you. That's your job! Anway, "twenty-five" is maybe nothing else but the number of fluffy clouds I counted in the sky while rollerblading. Or the number of pebbles I've fallen in love with on the shores of Greece..." Dieter Moitzi, Paris, 2014

76 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2014

About the author

Born in the early 70s, I grew up in a little village in Austria. Today, I’m living in Paris, France, with my boyfriend and work as a graphic designer. In my spare time, I write, read, cook fancy recipes, take photos, and travel. All my novels are available in English, French, and German. By the way, the French version of my first murder mystery novel “The Stuffed Coffin” won the prestigious French Gay Murder Mystery Award 2019. You can also find me on Rainbow Book Reviews, where I write book reviews under the pseudonym of ParisDude (for French reviews, have a look at my review site livresgay.fr).

Find more information on my author website http://www.dietermoitzi.com or on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/dietermoitzi