Greg Gould’s poem, Jack and Jill, was shortlisted in the 2014 Michael Thwaites Poetry Award. Read his piece below. You can read the other winning and shortlisted entries here.
Jack had fists of concrete / big heavy concrete fists he used to hate hate hate / Jill’s skin was flesh of peaches / her eyes were wells full of silence /
Jack hate hate hated Jill’s friends / he hated the way they convinced Jill that she was one of them / Jill hated the sound of concrete on bone / she hated the soft swell of bruises /
Jack’s mouth was full of hate / he could hate hate hate all day / he could hate hate hate when sober / he could hate hate hate when drunk / Jill’s mouth knew better than to hate aloud / hate tasted like concrete /
on Saturdays Jack would hate hate hate the house / he would hate hate hate the un-made bed / he would hate hate hate the un-vacuumed floor / he would hate hate hate the way the curtains hung /
when Jill asked for new curtains Jack would hate hate hate the way she asked asked asked /
at night Jill would cry cry cry / she would cry cry cry completely still because Jack hated to be disturbed / Jack had a bat bat bat beneath his bed /
Jill lived in a house of locked doors / Jill knew that concrete was stronger than wood /
Jack didn’t hate all women / Jack only hated Jill / sometimes Jill could smell love on Jack Jack Jack / Jack’s love smelled like wet concrete /
one night Jill filled Jack’s beer with a pill pill pill / she watched Jack drink drink drink and slowly / slowly fall to sleep sleep sleep /
Jill crept into the bedroom and held Jack’s bat bat bat / it was as heavy as concrete /
Read more of Greg’s writing at his blog: No Word For.
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