Anne Feddema was RIXT-poet of the month September 2019. You can read his original Frisian poems of that month here. One of them – Papel Solo – is published here in translation.
Papel Solo
I’d already seen them for many a day
The crowd of profitess sisters
At the Sevillian cathedral
Swarming Sybils
Money is their language
Almost fighting
For the favour
Of the future tourists
They don’t have no
Red headscarves
Large earrings
No balls of crystal
They’re wearing Kappa clothing
Cervesacynic within me says:
Is there any honour in this work?
Today the last day
In the city of Carmen
And Don Juan
So… sigh…
Let’s get it over with
What will the future hold for me?
I give her my hand
And clichés start tumbling out
I’ll grow old, be happy
And rich, of course
I hear the chatter
Already pass me by
Now it’s my time to read her hand
I give her two euros
However, she says:
‘ Papel solo ‘
Money is what she wants
But only made of paper
I walk away abruptly
And point at my buttocks
Almost sing
Papel solo
Papel solo
To wipe myself
© Anne Feddema Translation: Trevor M. Scarse