‘By the Schoolyard on Amàlia Street’ by Billy Ramsell
The steady uneven surge
of rollicking boys on tarmacadam.
A sob of cello-anxiety
deep in the composition;
a skinned knee, perhaps,
or pang of separation
that brings – one can almost picture it –
a teacher hurrying from the colonnade.
The laughter, the contestation
of all the frolicking Montses,
the skipping Marguerites.
Such an unserious raucous orchestra!
Such ramshackle virtuosity!
How it settles between one’s eardrums,
how it rattles, circulates, expands,
overwriting tasks, appointments,
all of adulthood’s careful melodies.
The morning, sir, still sports
the indolent dew of its commencement.
And ah what a boisterous impromptu
still swells and hesitates,
spills over the schoolyard wall.
Listen. Retire yourself awhile.
Sit beside me.
[This is one of a series of poems translated from the Catalan of the non-existent poet Alberto Cenas]
From issue #9.5: spring/summer 2020
About the Author
Billy Ramsell’s most recent collection, The Architect’s Dream of Winter, was published in 2013 and recently appeared in Italian translation. He lives in Cork where he co-runs an educational publishing company.
