Sigrid Kingma was the RIXT poet of the month February 2021. You can read her original Frisian poems of that month here. The translation of one of them – ‘Brass hats’ – is published here.
Brass hats He won’t hang up streamers for himself celebrates survivals with drawn blinds and closed doors sensitised friends saved pocket money at the bank for a new bicycle Spoiled brat that fights fumigation looks for soft words to lie with or confesses smirking that he forgot who buttered his bread only yesterday Still, crystal clear is the memory that it was treacle that spilled on the paperwork the sticky fingers licked clean in the echo of the whistle blow © Sigrid Kingma Translation: Trevor Scarse