States of Poetry - Poems

States of Poetry 2016 - South Australia | 'The Silence of Siskins' by Jelena Dinic

by Jelena Dinic •

States of Poetry South Australia - Series One

States of Poetry - Poems

States of Poetry 2016 - South Australia | 'The Silence of Siskins' by Jelena Dinic

by Jelena Dinic •

States of Poetry South Australia - Series One

for my grandfather

He circles my arrival
on the calendar.

It is late November
and it doesn't snow.

A wooden pallet
hardens his bed.

He dreams of grandmother.
He doesn't want new dreams.

Two siskins in cages –
their song frozen like the air

that other November
when she lost her heart

cleaning and baking
for those who might arrive.

Above the fireplace a few flies
are nervous company.

'Not easy on earth,' he says,
'not easy below.'

Jelena Dinic

Recording

Jelena Dinic

Jelena Dinic arrived in Australia in 1993 during the collapse of Yugoslavia. She writes in Serbian and English. She is the recipient of the George Town Literary Exchange and The Arts Space residency in Rimbun Dahan, Malaysia and the Eleanor Dark Foundation Varuna Writers’ Retreat in the Blue Mountains. Her poetry and short stories have been published in literary journals and anthologies including Australian Book Review, Australian Poetry Anthology, Australian Poetry Journal, Best Australian Poems, Going Down Swinging, and Westerly among others. Her first full collection In the room with the she wolf was selected for the Adelaide Festival 2020 Premier’s Unpublished Manuscript Award and was the winner of the Mary Gilmore award in 2022. Jelena is dedicated to supporting students and families from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds, and passionately working with her team towards inclusion, settlement and wellbeing. She lives in the Adelaide Hills with her family.