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.

Liviu Martinescu

Judi Benson
 

Si totusi pietrele

Casa se ghemuieste si se-ntinde,
ofteaza noaptea cand trozneste podeaua,
in varful ei, un cuib de ciori,
lumina si aer, peretii goi.
O felie de rai, am zis amandoi
leganandu-ne pe veranda serile,
sfarsitul zilei de lucru, orizontul suind
sa primeasca soarele,il urmaream coborand
intr-o flanea de nori.
Unele legi ale naturii mai persista.
Legea lui Sod, ploaia pe zile festive,
pe gratar, pe nunti,rufele puse la uscat,
sezlong, bacci, referate.
Miniaturalele lucruri. Da, lucruri.
Ce sunt ele fara noi oamenii
decat relicve pentru arheologi.
Carne supravietuind,un fir, un fir de lavanda.
Un pamatuf scurt de par auriu.
Pietre de fiere-ntr-un borcan,ale lui si ale ei.
Nota:ale lui erau mai mari ca ale mamei lui.
Curiozitati ce intriga si greu le gasesti
sensul. Care sens?
Da, mai duc pietre
la mormantul tau, sa-i derutez.
Rozalii,gri-albastrui, de granit.
Pietre din Alderney, Carteret, Cromer,
Norwich, Aldeburgh, Duluth, Dartmoor, Leide,
una din pavajul medieval al Pragai,
s-o fi impiedicat Mozart de ea,
idem Kafka, injurand ca si mine,
a treia oara. Roata- roata,
pierdut pe strazile mereu schimbatoare