Aukje-Tjitske was the RIXT Poet of the Month in January. You can find the translation of her poem ‘Change’ below. Her original Frisian poems are linked here.
Change
it starts with a draft
you can only catch with your lips
just a flutter and it’s blown away
but with a sliver of luck
it might become an eddy
a breaking, half an idea
when it builds into a gust,
you’ll see it by the trees
it will caress your cheeks
grow into a flurry of wind
a conviction searching out people
swaying branches harder and harder
and then – an unstoppable storm
that whistles for attention
takes your breath jumps you
blows away every fear
cleans out every cobweb
it will bellow across the seas
astound all countries realms
hurtle across deserts forests prairies
sing dance poeticise
end all wars
make straight what’s crooked
just one question:
which butterfly do we need
which flap of the wing
© Aukje-Tsjitske
From: Geosmine; gedichten van een geurende aarde (2025)
translation: Trevor Scarse