Nina Parmenter – Lithics
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The stone man in the sky is knapped
and grows back, changes colour
like the palms that itch to shape him,
chooses which paths to illuminate,
which quarry to hide.
Is rarely kind.
There are no creatures,
just bones that dodge and trip,
furs that go to ground,
hearts that waste,
tongues she will never taste,
and trees that watch like crones,
donning and shedding skins,
their hungry roots nourished
by a sister she once had
who never spoke.
This is her view – a world
she has no urge to preserve.
One day she will be stones and bones,
the position of a hearth.
One day, as she is dug and raked over,
she will stay whole.
Unheard.
Nina Parmenter lives among the ancient landscapes of Wiltshire. Her first collection ‘Split, Twist, Apocalypse’ was published by Indigo Dreams in 2022. Her poetry has appeared in journals including Snakeskin, Honest Ulsterman, Allegro Poetry, Atrium Poetry and Ink Sweat and Tears. She is mother to two boys and a slightly insane basset hound.
Photograph: Baisha Village Roof Tiles by D.C. Nobes
D.C. Nobes is a scientist who spent his first 39 years in or near Toronto, Canada, then 23 years based in Christchurch, New Zealand, 4 years in China, and has now retired to Bali. He used to enjoy winter but admits that he doesn’t miss the snow or the cold. His work has appeared in Tarot Poetry NZ and The Violet Hour, and is in press in miniMAG, Karma Comes Before, The Hooghly Review, Poetry as Promised, Whimsical Publishing Press, and Boats Against the Current.