All Hallows Approaches
Gold captured in my ochre hide;
the heat of our hottest days still
being stowed within me as my stalk
began to foretell my release from
the mother plant. Water poured from
the sky; soil life was quenched. And I
swe-e-ell-ed in anticipation of the day
when jagged grins are carved.
Blow… Rouse my flames! Let my
inner fire blaze against the wicked
dark. But do not waste my sunset
flesh. Mash me! I’ll be glad to become
a soft buttery dish. Seek comfort
in my savoury soup of tears. Then
turn me into your pumpkin pie.
And don’t forget the cream, my love.
Frisian and Dutch poem: Yva Hokwerda
Yva Hokwerda is the pseudonym of Ytje Hoekstra (1961). In 2005, she began writing pieces in Frisian for her weblog Diva Yva op ’e Trie (Diva Yva on a roll). This led her to become a writer and editor at the Frisian-language online magazine Farsk. In 2006, she won a Rely Jorritsmaprize for poetry. Her debut collection 44 dûbeld fjouwerjen was published in 2008, and she is currently working on a new poetry collection.
In her poetry she collects thoughts about diversity: in nature, people and language. She is looking for images for the things that matter to her or make her angry. That is why she also looks at the meadows around her, as a ‘farmers’ sister’. Sometimes she comes up with new words to capture in Frisian what she wishes to evoke.
Engelse vertaling: Michele Hutchison
Michele Hutchison (1972) is a literary translator from Dutch and French into English. She has translated more than fifty books from Dutch and four from French. She received the Vondel Translation Prize 2019 and in 2020 The Discomfort of Evening, her translation of Lucas Rijneveld’s novel, was awarded the International Booker Prize. Michele is also familiar with Frisian literature, as one of the translators for Swallows and Floating Horses. An Anthology of Frisian Literature.
Illustratie: Redmer Hoekstra
Redmer Hoekstra (1982) is in 2009 als beeldend kunstenaar en illustrator afgestudeerd aan de kunstacademie in Zwolle. Hij vindt veel inspiratie in het filosoferen over de werkelijkheid, de werking van dingen en de beweging van dieren. Zijn associatieve brein combineert op fascinerende wijze heel verschillende vormen. Redmer gebruikt een bewerkelijke en ambachtelijke techniek. Hij maakt met fineliners pentekeningen op papier, waarbij hij veel werkt met arcering. De tekeningen zijn zo realistisch mogelijk, zodat de vervreemding en verwondering bij de kijker worden versterkt.