Smiling Onigiri — Wibautstraat Subway Station

I stepped out of the metro at Wibautstraat and noticed a small Japanese onigiri stand inside the station. A familiar sight, in an unexpected place.

One of my favorite poems from Verboden Rijst is called Smiling Onigiri. The connection was immediate. Amsterdam and Japan meeting underground, in a station I’ve passed through countless times.

I walked in, started a conversation, printed the poem and hung it there.
It now sits at the bar, where travelers stop briefly before work, on their way home, or somewhere else entirely.

It’s a transient place. People don’t linger. That’s exactly why it felt right.

If the poem offers a moment of calm, or a brief smile, before the next train arrives, it has found its place.