Judi Benson

And Still the Stones
 

The house shrinks and stretches,
sighs at night creaking the floorboards,
top of the house, crow's nest,
light and air, walls bare.
Slice of heaven we agreed,
lazy rocking evenings,
day's work done, ascending
to meet the sun, watch it go down
in a smother of clouds.
Some laws of nature still persist.
Sod's law, the rain on your parade,
your barbecue, wedding, laundry,
deck chair, bacci, papers.
The minutiae of it all. Things.
What are they without people
but relics to be studied by archaeologists.
A ribbon surviving flesh, faint lavender.
A shank of auburn hair without a head.
Gallstones in a jar, his and hers.
Note: his were bigger than his mum's.
Curiosities to be puzzled over
trying to put it all together. What sense?
Yes, I still take stones
to your grave site to confuse them.
Pink toned, blue grey, granite.
Stones from Alderney, Carteret, Cromer,
Norwich, Aldeburgh, Duluth, Dartmoor, Leide,
a cobblestone from Praha
that I'd like to think Mozart stubbed his toe on,
that tripped Kafka, who swore as I did,
the third time round. Round and round,
lost amongst the ever changing streets.

Rodica Ionas (Tita)

Judi Benson
 

Si totusi pietrele

Casa se strange si se intinde,
suspina noaptea scartaind din podele,
acoperisul casei, cuibul ciorii,
lumina si aerul, peretii goi.
Colt de rai ziceam noi,
seri lenese leganandu-ne,
truda zilei terminata, inaltandu-ne
catre soare, sa-l privim cum coboara
invaluit de nori.
Unele legi ale naturii inca mai dainuie.
Legea lui Murphy, ploaie cand te plimbi,
la petrecere, la nunta, pe rufele puse la uscat,
pe sezlong, pe tigari, pe hartii.
Toate nimicurile acestea. Lucruri.
Dar ele fara oameni nu sunt decat
relicve bune sa le studieze arheologii.
O panglica ramasa-n urma trupului, miros fin de lavanda.
O suvita de par castaniu si capul nu e.
Pietre biliare in borcan, ale lui si ale ei.
Nota: ale lui erau mai mari decat ale maica-sii.
Curiozitati la care sa te gandesti
sa le dai un sens. Ce sens?
Da, inca mai aduc pietre
la mormantul tau ca sa le amestec.
Tonuri de roz, albastru cenusiu, granit.
Pietre de la Alderney¹, Carteret², Cromer³,
Norwich⁵, Aldeburgh⁵, Duluth⁶, Dartmoor⁷, Leide⁸,
o piatra de pavaj din Praga
de care-mi place sa cred ca si-a lovit piciorul Mozart,
de care s-a impiedicat Kafka, care a injurat ca si mine,
a treia oara. Iar si iar,
ma ratacesc printre strazile care se tot schimba.

¹ cea mai nordica dintre insulele din Canalul Manecii, este considerata o atractie turistica
² oras in Statele Unite
³ statiune in Marea Britanie
⁴ oras in Marea Britanie, este considerat centru cultural
⁵ oras in Marea Britanie, este cunoscut datorita festivalului de musica clasica pe care-l gazduieste in luna iunie
⁶ oras in Statele Unite
⁷ parc national in Marea Britanie
⁸ oras in Olanda, vechi centru universitar