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.

Reluta Paune

Judi Benson
 

Si inca pietrele

Casa se strange si se intinde,
Oftari noaptea scartaind podea,
Acoperisul casei,cuib de cioara.
Lumina si aerul dezvaluie peretii.
Am cazut de acord la o parte din cer,
Seri lenese si reci,
Ziua cu munca ei,mergand
Sa se intalneasca cu soarele.
Il privesti cum apune
In aburul norilor.
Unele legi ale naturii inca persista.
Legea lui Murphy, ploaie cand te plimbi.
Ploaie la petrecere, la nunta,
La rufele de pe sarma, pe sezlong,
Pe tutunul indragit, pe hartii.
Cat de marunte sunt toate. Lucruri.
Ce sunt lucrurile fara oameni
Decat relicve pentru arheologi.
O panglica supravietuind trupului,
Slab miros de lavanda,
O suvita de par castanie, si capul nu mai e.
Pietre biliare intr-un borcan, ale lui si ale ei.
Nota: ale lui erau mai mari decat ale mamei sale.
Curiozitati la care sa te gandesti
Si carora sa le dai un sens.Ce simti ?
Da, eu inca mai aduc pietre la mormantul tau
Ca sa le amestec.
Tonuri de roz, albastru cenusiu, granit.
Pietre de la Alderney, Carteret, Cromer,
Norwich, Aldeburgh, Duluth, Dartmoor, Leide,
O piatra de pavaj din Praha,
Pe care imi place sa cred ca Mozart a lasat
Urma pasilor sai,
Pe unde Kafka a calatorit si a injurat de trei ori,
Asa cum am facut si eu. De jur imprejur,
Pierzandu-se pe srazile mereu incurcate.

Note: Carteret- un oras langa New York, nu departe de Atlantic.
Alderney- o statiune
Duluth- o zona in America
Dartmoor- un parc national/ o inchisoare pentru barbati
Cromer- insula, devenita apoi statiune
Norwitch- oras/ club profesional de fotbal/ scoala de pictori.
Leide- oras in Olanda