ANNE STEWART

Perception as a Furry Thing


Why must men sit so suggestively on trains?
This one is big and heavy. Aging new man,
a campaign of clean, oozing the cleverness of gym.
Legs wide apart and buttocks hunkered in,
of course, where else to slant his bottle down
but bang-slap-centre close up in between?
I toss about the he-does-he-doesn't-know of it;
appreciate the chunky awkwardness proclaiming,
in ebullient tone, that "It's a comfort thing".

But, then, that’s men. "Men come pre-validated"
according to the Stewart Theory of Easy Successful Men
(i.e. the ones who don't spend much time wondering what,
of anything they’ve ever done, they could do better than).
He stretches toes at me, looks me in the eye and grins,
fingers tightening on the bottle in his lap. I’m thinking
Cheek of him and Well, no mistake there then
when I spot the hat. Bang-slap-centre, the black
and softly furry hat I'm always cradling in mine.

Carmen Loredana Fantana

Anne Stewart
 

Percepere ca un lucru blanos

De ce stau barbatii asa insinuant in trenuri?
Acesta este solid si puternic. Oameni noi ce se trec,
o campanie de curatenie, ce scoate la iveala ingeniozitatea salii de sport.
Picioare desfacute larg si fese stranse,
desigur, unde in alta parte ar putea sa-si sprijine sticla
dar poc-pleosc-punc lovit apropa la fix?
Aproximez atangacia ce se anunta;
Concluzionez pe un ton exuberant, tine de comfort”.

Dar, in fine, astia-s barbatii. „Barbatii vin pre-validati”
conform Teoriei Barbatilor ce Reusesc Usor a lui Stewart
(de ex. aceia care nu prea se intreaba ce,
din tot ceea ce au facut, ar putea schimba in bine).
El isi intinde picioarele catre mine, ma priveste in ochi si ranjeste,
cu degetele inclestate pe sticla din poala. Ma gandesc
Uitate la el si Ei bine, nici o greseala atunci
Cand observ palaria. Poc-pleosc-punc lovit, neagra
si pufoasa palarie blanoasa pe care o legen tot timpu in a mea.