Ars Poetica, with playmaker, machine by Jeff Skinner

The table doesn't lie. Rejections drop

into your inbox with rhythmic regularity,

a steady beat, a litany. It's relegation form,

like not making the school team

you find something different to do

on a Saturday morning, and writing –

it's the only other thing you're half-ok at

so you do that – because hey, everyone's

half-decent at something, aren't they?

Music, maths, a reverse pass, taking apart

an engine, giving it back in one piece.

_____

Jeff's poems are widely published, most recently in The Passionfruit Review, Atrium, The Aftershock Review; work is forthcoming in Stand, and Ink, Sweat & Tears. His pamphlet, Us, was shortlisted for the Live Canon pamphlet prize. In July 2023 he was diagnosed with a neuro-degenerative condition. He listens to a lot of music, watches football, reads, writes.