Janna van der Meer was the RIXT Poet of the Month in July. You can find the translation of her poem ‘breath’ below. Her original Frisian poems are linked here.
breath
from the wide sea
and across the field
the wind blows
through the slit
of our bedroom window
carefully I breathe
what will it touch?
I hold it in
downstairs the dog spins
the whites of its eyes
howling in its dream
outside the fox feasts
on the belly of a calf
its young want to as well
and next to me lies the man
in a heap
he smacks
my throat constricts
something wiggles
between the hairs on my skin
I shiver and then
let go
through the slit
across the field
towards the wide sea
© Janna van der Meer
translation: Trevor Scarse