"Poems know no question mark," is boldly asserted in this cycle that has its beginnings on a December night. At this time, Cees Nooteboom is on Schiermonnikoog, the island of the gray monks. Thus, 33 poems of strict form and great lightness emerge, images, illusions, dream images of a reality: Phaedrus and Socrates on the dune path, six angels in wind force ten, a marten sitting thoughtfully in the rock face. With Socrates, the poems ultimately return to a question mark, to the great question of human existence: Where do we come from and where are we going? In the new poetry collection by the great Dutch author Cees Nooteboom, word and image stand in opposition. Specifically for this edition, Matthias Weischer presents drawings and watercolors that respond to the poems, play with them, and reflect them: The poet and the painter compose a work together.