Heike Henderson
(USA-Germany)
To be
part of this life
part of this time
part of desire
part of delight
to be
immersed in decisions
immersed in taboo
immersed in directions
and places to go
to be
accustomed to change
accustomed to grief
accustomed to longing
accustomed to joy
to be
me
Teilhaben
an der Welt
an dem was passiert
um mich herum
und in mir
teilhaben
Teil sein
unersetzbar
unentbehrlich
unverzichtbar
immer da
teilhaben
an Lust und Leben
Schmerz und Leid
an Wegen voraus
und Wegen zurück
an mir
und an dir
teilhaben
Teil sein
unzerstörbar
unausweichlich
immer verändernd
immer neu
To form
means to change
to create and disturb
destroy and connect
to form
means to last
against all the odds
against all the demons
that try to contain
the spirits that move
and help us sustain
to form
means to be
part of this world
part of resistance
and part of the old
part of creation
and part of the new
to form
means making room for you
and re-inventing me
____________________________________________
Heike Henderson is Professor of German and Associate Chair of the Department of World Languages at Boise State University (Idaho, USA). She was born and raised in Germany and holds a PhD in German Literature with a Designated Emphasis in Feminist Theory and Research from the University of California, Davis. To nurture her creative spirit, she engages in poetry and creative writing as well as translations of poems by contemporary authors like Hendrik Rost and Zehra Çirak.