We were saddened to hear the news last weak of the death of Melbourne poet Jordie Albiston at the age of 60. One of Australia’s most highly regarded contemporary poets, she will perhaps best be remembered for 2003’s The Fall and its much anthologized title poem, an account of a woman falling from the Empire State Building who at the same time tumbles through the story of her life.
Albiston’s poetry was frequently adapted to other mediums: her collection Botany Bay Document was transformed into a performance work entitled Dreaming Transportation by Sydney composer Andree Greenwell, which premiered at the Sydney festival in 2003 and was staged the following year at the Sydney Opera House. In 2006, Albiston’s biographical verse The Hanging of Jean Lee was used as the text for an opera. Albiston’s poetry was often experimental within the confines of strict formal settings. Jack & Mollie (& Her) is a book-length poem comprising decasyllabic cinquains, while Euclid’s dog: 100 algorithmic poems uses various mathematical concepts and proofs as bases for its eight poetic forms.
In 2019, Albiston was the recipient of The Patrick White Literary Award for her significant contribution to Australian literature. She will be greatly missed.
Soul v. Body
A soul hung up, as ‘there in chains
Of nerves and arteries and veins…
— Andrew Marvell
Bout after bout I fight my body
over who will rule us, me or
her, and round after round sees
me thrown down, knocked out.
Physical she has the upper
fist, the flesh and blood that
gets bums on seats, while my
defence is simply the idea.
She is the temple and I am
the tenant, held like a hermit
in a strange arrangement with
the world, against my will.
Yes, I am the snail and she is
the shell and she is for sale
for giving me hell every time
she has climbed on my back
As the audience taunts and the
bell goes again, I see certain
stars yet staunchly believe
that spiritually I cannot lose.
Life after life I fight my body
over who is the purer, me or
her, and death after death we
return to the same new debate.
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Author: Thomas Moody