Carla van der Zwaag was the RIXT poet of the month March 2020. You can read her original Frisian poems of that month here. The translation of one of them – ‘Lonely’ – is published below.
Lonely I swim in circles Between asphyxiating algae And stone houses My heart beats out of sorts Turning green from the moss In misted up window glass People shuffle through my view I get my food and drink on time Follow them with a silken look Drenched with the faith; Everything will be alright I wait for the cat’s paw To which I finally can give My life and share it with © Carla van der Zwaag Translation: Trevor M. Scarse