Tolnai Ottó: the bitter stone it was (az a kő éppen olyan keserű volt in English)

From a blinding copper bowl
sister pearl handed out
leftover hosts
to the beggars
blind tibi blithe and me are not beggars
yet she throws us some
and we had just gotten to the
front of the line anyhow
when just then tattering chesko
shoved me right out of it
for the love of god
not that habakkuk sister
not that one
luckily sister pearl
overheard him
hideously habakukking at me
and she stopped
and caressed my face
with her wafer-serving hand
and said that
she herself
sister pearl
had personally met
the habakkuk in florence
but that it was made of real stone
and it was as bitter as the flesh
upon your face dear william
the habakukk’s most
bitter prophet she said
with the bowl more blinding still
there in front of the florence habakukk
it was your mug that came to mind
dearest william
and I also found blind tibi blithe
with opal orbs as eyes
painted on the dismal temple wall
I wonder how your images
got scattered all over the world
sister pearl said
meanwhile as she
tossed some host remnants
into my bag since the bigger bits
had already been depleted
only crumbs
remained at the bottom
of the copper bowl
we will be keeping an eye
on the tattling one
from behind the calvaria
where he visits ou-lá-lá julia
at the sheriff’ s place
although it may be
moustached violet
that he visits as
she has been seen
drinking english bitters
with old stroppy
above the meadow
where the tisza
can be seen from a clearing
up upon the BALKAN’s terrace