 The loss of his wife deeply influenced his second volume of poetry, "Zolang er sneeuw ligt"(1975).The collection won both the "Dirk Martensprijs van de Stad Aalst" (1976) and the "Prijs van de Vlaamse Provincieën" (1978).Later collections, such as " Met een Klank van Hobo" (1980) and "De Hectaren van het Geheugen" (1985) show a shift to a more romantic topos in his poetry.