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.

Ana-Maria Purec

Judi Benson
 

Si pietrele-s mute

Casa intra la apa si se intinde,
ofteaza noaptea prin scartaitul podelelor,
zidurile sprijina acoperisul,
cuibul de ciori, lumina si aerul.
Am cazut de acord asupra unei felii de rai,
in serile cand leneveam,
la sfarsitul unei zile de munca, ridicandu-ne spre soare,
privindu-l cum apune
intr-o adunare de nori.
Unele legi ale naturii inca persista.
Legea lui Sod, ploaia in timp ce te plimbi,
faci un gratar, te casatoresti, speli,
pe sezlong, in timp ce te saruti, pe ziare.
Toate micile detalii. Lucruri.
Fara oameni, ele nu sunt decat
relicve studiate de arheologi.
O bucata de carne, levantica ofilita.
Un fir de par acaju fara de cap.
Calculi biliari intr-un borcan, ai lui si ale ei.
Nota: ai lui erau mai mari decat ale mamei lui.
Sa-ti storci creierii cu toate curiozitatile,
incercand sa pui totul cap la cap. Ce rost are?
Da, inca duc pietre
la mormantul tau pentru a crea confuzie.
De roz aprins, albastru gri, granit.
Pietre din Aldeburgh, Carteret, Cromer,
Norwich, Aldeburgh, Duluth, Dartmoor, Leide,
O piatra de pavat din Praga,
de care as dori sa cred ca s-a lovit Mozart,
de care s-a impiedicat Kafka, care a injurat ca si mine,
pentru a treia oara. Iar si iar,
pe strazile mereu in schimbare.