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.

Alina-Ioana Stan

Judi Benson
 

Si totusi pietrele

Casa se micsoreaza si se intinde,
suspina noaptea scartaind podelele,
pe casa un cuib de ciori,
aer si lumina, pereti fara tina.
Am fost de acord ca e o gura de rai,
nopti lenese in balansoar,
munca o ispravim, urcam
soarele sa-ntalnim, ii urmărim coborarea
invaluit de nori.
Unele legi ale naturii mai dainuie inca.
Legea lui Murphy, ploaia din timpul plimbarii,
gratarului, nuntii, de pe rufe,
balansoar, tigarile tale, hartii.
Atatea amanunte inutile. Lucruri.
Fara oameni n-ar fi decat
relicve studiate de arheologi.
Panglica ce supravietuieste dupa trup, cu miros slab de lavanda
O bucla de par castaniu-roscat smulsa de pe cap.
Pietre biliare la borcan, ale lui si ale ei.
Nota: ale lui mai mari ca ale mamei sale.
Curiozitati pe care iti bati capul
sa le intelegi. Ce sens are?
Da, inca mai duc pietre
la mormantul tau, ca sa le amestec.
Tonuri de roz, albastru-cenusiu, granit.
Pietre din Alderney, Carteret, Cromer,
Norwich, Aldeburgh, Duluth, Dartmoor, Leide,
o piatra de pavaj din Praga
de care mi-ar placea sa cred ca s-a lovit Mozard,
s-a impiedecat Kafka, care a injurat asemeni mie,
de trei ori la rand. Si iar la rand,
pierdut printre strazile in continua schimbare.