Tsjisse Hettema was RIXT-poet of the month September 2018.
You can read his original Frisian poems of that month here.
One of them – Storm Rider – is published here in translation.
Storm Rider
the exotic makes room within me
drives my reluctance off to the outer ring
where embellishments lie in wait to pounce
within me
my square habits slide roughly over each other
up to the colours
on the eight interfaces of every change of mood
out of my mouth sticks the inner button
like a grey susceptibility outside
© Dichterskollektief Bouwer-Hettema Translation: Trevor Scarse
Stormruter
’t eksotiese in mi’j maekt ruumte
verdrieft mien eigenwiezens naor de buutenste ring
woar as de versierings klaor liggen om toe te slaon
binnenin mi’j
skoeven mien vierkaante gewoontes rieuwerig over mekaander henne
tot de kleuren
op de acht raekvlakken van elke stemmingswisseling
uut mien mond stikt de binnenste knoppe
as ’n grieze gevulighied naor buten
© Dichterskollektief Bouwer-Hettema