Gerrit de Vries was RIXT-poet of the month April 2019.
You can read his original Frisian poems of that month here.
One of them – concerning canaries – is published here in translation.
concerning canaries
back then in the coalmine
a cage was hung in the gallery
behind bars sat a canary
carbon monoxide
lack of oxygen
mine gas was a hazard
the miners knew
when the whistling ceased
they could no longer be at ease
grandma had two canaries
Tom and Joy
until one day her tomcat
she fed Tom bird seed
rejoicing he sat sated
on his bar
when both were old
he just fell off
a godwit thrashes
his pecker to bits
looking for food
that no longer is
on the withered green
monotonous wasteland
a fleeing chick is running
out of breath
just pretend
all is fine
a meadow is no coalmine
a godwit ’s no canary
© Gerrit de Vries
Translation: Trevor Scarse
Oer kanarjes
eartiids yn de koalemyn
hong in koaike yn de galerij
siet efter traaljes in kanarje
koalmonokside
tekoart oan soerstof
myngas wie in gefaar
de mynwurkers wisten
as it fluitsjen ophold
dat der wat net doogde
beppe hie twa kanarjes
Piet en Jubel
oant op in dei de boarre
hja fuorre Piet sjongsied
sêd siet er te jubeljen
op syn stôk
doe’t beide âld wienen
foel er dêr ôf
in skries huft him
de snaffel stikken
siket nei iten
dat der net langer is
op de útdrûge grien
monotoane hûngerpôle
draaft in pyk op ‘e flecht
him út de liken
doch mar krekt
as is alles yn oarder
in greide is gjin koalemyn
in skries is gjin kanarje
© Gerrit de Vries