States of Poetry - Poems

States of Poetry 2016 - South Australia | 'Temper' by Jill Jones

States of Poetry South Australia - Series One

States of Poetry - Poems

States of Poetry 2016 - South Australia | 'Temper' by Jill Jones

States of Poetry South Australia - Series One

They say morning's temper
binds you to this world
of taking. As if the air said,
all you need is to scram
or laugh. If it's real payback,
why try to earn it.
There are better things to do
with your shoes.
This is no mystery.
Movement chafes expectancy
till it hurts and hackles.
It's a pissing contest,
round that hew
the hours hand you.
You can't whimper.
This, also, isn't a mystery.
It's half way day.
The dog's at the fence.

Jill Jones

Jill Jones

By this contributor

Jill Jones has published nine full-length books of poetry including Breaking the Days (2015), The Beautiful Anxiety (2014), which won the 2015 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Poetry, and Ash is Here, So are Stars (2012). Her work is represented in major anthologies including the Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature and The Penguin Anthology of Australian Poetry. She is a member of the J.M. Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice, University of Adelaide. She was poet-in-residence at Stockholm University for five months in 2014-15.