Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Danae Sioziou

NOURHAN

A girl glides lightly on the skateboard
from one end of the ramp to the other
she seems to flow into light, she laughs
they call her princess
her name is Nourhan
she knows all the tricks on the board
she bends the knees
her fingers brush lightly
the concrete
and everyone’s looking at her
she has curly hair
no one is allowed to touch it
because the white kids at the square want to brush it
but she doesnt want them to
she likes caresses by her best friend, lemon ice-cream
her mothers hands when she braids her hair
evening light, school, skateboarding
one day, shes sure, she’ll be free
one day shell fly off the end of the ramp
to the volcanoes in Chile
to the shore of Africa
to the Arctic
to the penguin colonies
to the tulips blooming in Holland
she will fly over the Russian forests
she will fly to the sun
and the police will never ask for her papers
and no one will ever touch her hair again
apart from the people she loves and the summer wind
she will never again be
a waterdrop among waterdrops
but still an alien
one day she won’t be afraid
to lose her balance
to fall
one day she will take a deep deep breath
one day she will fly off the end of the ramp
to the moon.

NOURHAN

Een meisje glijdt soepel met haar skateboard
van de ene kant van de halfpipe naar de andere
ze lijkt in licht te wentelen en lacht
ze noemen haar prinses
haar naam is Nourhan
ze kent de beste skateboard tricks
ze buigt haar knieën
raakt zachtjes het cement aan
met haar vingers
en iedereen kijkt naar haar
ze heeft kroeshaar
en ze heeft iedereen verboden eraan te zitten
omdat de witte kinderen op het plein het willen aaien
maar daar houdt ze niet van
ze houdt van geaaid worden door haar beste vriendin, citroenijs
de handen van haar moeder, wanneer die haar haar vlecht
de namiddagzon, school, skateboarden
op een dag, ze weet het zeker, zal ze vrij zijn
op een dag zal ze van de rand van de halfpipe vliegen
tot de vulkanen van Chili
tot de kusten van Afrika
tot de ijskappen
tot de pinguïnkolonies
tot de bloeiende tulpen van Nederland
ze zal over de bossen in Rusland vliegen
ze zal tot de zon vliegen
en nooit zal de politie om haar papieren vragen
en nooit zal er iemand aan haar haar zitten
behalve de mensen van wie ze houdt en de meltemi
nooit zal ze nogmaals
een druppel tussen de druppels zijn
en toch een vreemde
op een dag zal ze niet bang zijn
haar evenwicht te verliezen
te vallen
op een dag zal ze diep, diep inademen
op een dag zal ze van rand van de halfpipe vliegen
tot de maan.

ΝΟΥΡΧΑΝ

Ένα κορίτσι γλιστράει απαλά με το skateboard
από τη μία άκρη της ράμπας στην άλλη
μοιάζει να κυλάει μέσα σε φως και γελάει
την φωνάζουν πριγκίπισσα
το όνομά της είναι Νουρχάν
ξέρει τις καλύτερες φιγούρες με τη σανίδα
λυγίζει τα γόνατα
ακουμπάει απαλά το τσιμέντο
με τα δάχτυλά της
και όλοι την κοιτάνε
τα μαλλιά της είναι κατσαρά
έχει απαγορέψει σε όλους να τα αγγίζουν
γιατί τα λευκά παιδιά στην πλατεία θέλουν να τα χαϊδεύουν
αλλά δεν της αρέσει
της αρέσει να τη χαϊδεύει η καλύτερή της φίλη, το παγωτό λεμόνι
τα χέρια της μαμάς της, όταν της φτιάχνει κοτσιδάκια
το απογευματινό φως, το σχολείο, το skateboard
μια μέρα, είναι σίγουρη, θα είναι ελεύθερη
μια μέρα θα πετάξει από την άκρη της ράμπας
ως τα ηφαίστεια της Χιλής
ως τις ακτές της Αφρικής
ως τους πάγους
ως τις αποικίες των πιγκουίνων
ως τις ανθισμένες τουλίπες της Ολλανδίας
θα πετάξει πάνω από τα δάση στη Ρωσία
θα πετάξει ως τον ήλιο
και ποτέ η αστυνομία δεν θα της ζητήσει χαρτιά
και ποτέ κανείς δεν θα της αγγίζει τα μαλλιά
εκτός από όσους αγαπά και το μελτέμι
ποτέ ξανά δεν θα σταθεί
σταγόνα μέσα στις σταγόνες
κι όμως ξένη
μια μέρα δεν θα φοβάται
να χάσει την ισορροπία της
να πέσει
μια μέρα θα πάρει μια βαθιά βαθιά ανάσα
μια μέρα θα πετάξει από την άκρη της ράμπας
ως το φεγγάρι.

Close

NOURHAN

A girl glides lightly on the skateboard
from one end of the ramp to the other
she seems to flow into light, she laughs
they call her princess
her name is Nourhan
she knows all the tricks on the board
she bends the knees
her fingers brush lightly
the concrete
and everyone’s looking at her
she has curly hair
no one is allowed to touch it
because the white kids at the square want to brush it
but she doesnt want them to
she likes caresses by her best friend, lemon ice-cream
her mothers hands when she braids her hair
evening light, school, skateboarding
one day, shes sure, she’ll be free
one day shell fly off the end of the ramp
to the volcanoes in Chile
to the shore of Africa
to the Arctic
to the penguin colonies
to the tulips blooming in Holland
she will fly over the Russian forests
she will fly to the sun
and the police will never ask for her papers
and no one will ever touch her hair again
apart from the people she loves and the summer wind
she will never again be
a waterdrop among waterdrops
but still an alien
one day she won’t be afraid
to lose her balance
to fall
one day she will take a deep deep breath
one day she will fly off the end of the ramp
to the moon.

NOURHAN

A girl glides lightly on the skateboard
from one end of the ramp to the other
she seems to flow into light, she laughs
they call her princess
her name is Nourhan
she knows all the tricks on the board
she bends the knees
her fingers brush lightly
the concrete
and everyone’s looking at her
she has curly hair
no one is allowed to touch it
because the white kids at the square want to brush it
but she doesnt want them to
she likes caresses by her best friend, lemon ice-cream
her mothers hands when she braids her hair
evening light, school, skateboarding
one day, shes sure, she’ll be free
one day shell fly off the end of the ramp
to the volcanoes in Chile
to the shore of Africa
to the Arctic
to the penguin colonies
to the tulips blooming in Holland
she will fly over the Russian forests
she will fly to the sun
and the police will never ask for her papers
and no one will ever touch her hair again
apart from the people she loves and the summer wind
she will never again be
a waterdrop among waterdrops
but still an alien
one day she won’t be afraid
to lose her balance
to fall
one day she will take a deep deep breath
one day she will fly off the end of the ramp
to the moon.

Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère