Poet of the Netherlands Babs Gons wrote the poem One day on the occasion of the unveiling of the artwork A Minute of ShelterThe unveiling took place on Orange the World Day, November 25, 2025.
one day we wake up
and our body belongs to us
from head to toe
from toe to crown
we will do it with more confidence
more attractive than ever
it will be touching how well it suits us
how light it feels
in every step everyone will
what we are made of
resound
we will bear the names
of all women
who taught us their resistance
and shared their desires with us
our body will be like a house
solid as a brick
we will own it
for every pair of unsolicited hands
hundreds will stretch out
and form a hedge around us
for every mouth that blasphemes us
hundreds will sing to us
their voices will be louder
our body no longer
an atlas of unlit cycle paths
from wrong places, wrong time
our body no longer
a crime scene, possession
from another, a burden
it will no longer be hidden behind numbers
that receive more attention than our lives
it will no longer fear every eight minutes
for that life
no longer playing a supporting role
in messages
in which the leading roles are reserved
for normally very nice men
who have now lost control
for neighbors who had no idea
for the environment that is so shocked
we will no longer have to escape into it
or to make ourselves small in it
we will be able to quietly close our eyes
no upholstery will be cooler
than this body of ours
it will be enough
one day we wake up
in a world like new
with in the background
the applause of all our mothers' mothers
in the distance the laughter of our daughters
and their carefree daughters
one day we wake up
and our bodies belong to us
from toe to crown
from head to toe
it will be touching how well it suits us
how the sunlight falls on it
how far we've come
Babs Gons, Poet of the Netherlands, November 2025