Poem
Nyk de Vries
HARKEMA
She started off handing out hundred-dollar tips in the clubs. A year later they’d gone down to thirty. Her star was sinking, even she realised that much, and one night she walked towards the docks alone. There she climbed up to the arm of an enormous crane, almost 500 feet above ground level. She held on to a narrow girder and looked out over the dark city. What she was doing was terribly dangerous, but she smiled. The Harkema community centre – now that was dangerous.
© Translation: 2010, David Colmer
HARKEMA
HARKEMA
Aanvankelijk gaf ze in de clubs fooien van wel honderd dollar. Een jaar later nog maar van dertig. Haar ster was dalende, ze begreep het zelf ook en op een avond liep ze alleen in de richting van de kaden. Daar klom ze naar de nok van een enorme hijskraan, bijna 180 meter boven de grond. Ze hield zich vast aan een smalle balk en keek uit over de donkere stad. Het was ontzettend gevaarlijk wat ze deed, maar ze glimlachte. Het clubhuis in Harkema – daar was het pas gevaarlijk.
© 2010, Nyk de Vries
Publisher: Poetry International,
Publisher: Poetry International,
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HARKEMA
She started off handing out hundred-dollar tips in the clubs. A year later they’d gone down to thirty. Her star was sinking, even she realised that much, and one night she walked towards the docks alone. There she climbed up to the arm of an enormous crane, almost 500 feet above ground level. She held on to a narrow girder and looked out over the dark city. What she was doing was terribly dangerous, but she smiled. The Harkema community centre – now that was dangerous.
© 2010, David Colmer
HARKEMA
She started off handing out hundred-dollar tips in the clubs. A year later they’d gone down to thirty. Her star was sinking, even she realised that much, and one night she walked towards the docks alone. There she climbed up to the arm of an enormous crane, almost 500 feet above ground level. She held on to a narrow girder and looked out over the dark city. What she was doing was terribly dangerous, but she smiled. The Harkema community centre – now that was dangerous.
© 2010, David Colmer
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