KATE FOLEY

When the Buddhas of Bamiyan Fall


for one heart-shocking moment
before the censor kicked in
it was satisfying as the slow collapse

of a factory chimney – or earth falling off
her axis, as you know she will.
Our lips flickered,

a little replica of that great bald fragment
of smile that lies in the valley dust.
Why did they fire their rifles,

shout with glee at wounded trickles
of rock while a watching child
clapped his hands? I remember my mother

once lay, a sleeping giant in the moonlight,
her inscrutable limbs sculpted in silver.
Had I known DEAD

I would have sent it’s hot golden bullet
straight from my cot to her heart. Not gods
anymore, the Buddahs of Bamiyan,

made part of our own flesh by the long fuse of hate.
Now in our sorrow, none the less true
for being late,

we must carefully bend to our task, piece
together all the shattered Mummy’s and Daddy’s,
the Humpty Dumpty’s, foolish or wise,

finding a kind autumnal patience,
which after that first small greedy lick of pleasure,
may come to us if we wait.

Anamaria Comes

Kate Foley

Cand s-au Prabusit Statuile lui Buddha de al Bamiyan

Pret de o clipa inspaimantatoare
‘nainte ca cenzorul sa dea semnalul
a fost placut
ca la prabusirea lenta a unui cos de fabrica
– sau a pamantului ce stii ca se va desprinde de axa lui.
Buzele ne-au tresarit,
o copie in miniatura a acelui fragment urias de zambet ce zace-n colbul vaii.

De ce-au tras focuri de arma
Cu strigate de bucurie la naruirea pietrei ranite
in vreme ce-un copil, uitandu-se,
batea din palme? Mi-amintesc de mama-ntinsa, un urias adormit in raza lunii,
membrele-i ascunse modelate in argint.

Dac-as fi cunoscut DAD-ul
i-as fi trimis glontele galben incins
din leagan drept in inima-i.


Cei doi Budha de la Bamiyan nu mai sunt zei,
lungul fitil al urii i-a unit cu semintia noastra.

Cu regretul sincer c-am inteles abia tarziu,
Trebuie sa ne aplecam cu grija
asupra sarcinii ce ne revine,
sa recladim tot ce-am sfaramat: Mame si Tati, Humpty Dumpty, prostesc sau intelept,
sa regasim un soi de resemnare tomnatica,
ce dupa prima savurare lacoma a placerii, poate o s-ajunga si la noi, de’ vom avea rabdare.