Published in Overland Issue 246 Autumn 2022 · Judith Wright Poetry Prize Judith Wright Poetry Prize 2021 Third Place, stones Lily Rupcic he asks to see each pill I take, a catalogue blue|green and yellow|pink|tangerine each one a promise, a spell: make my mother well we lie on my bed and watch the birds, eyes leaf-green somewhere between autumn and spring I can’t move he cries I cry when he asks mama, did I break you? I hang stones from my neck, he weighs them in his palm whispers selenite feldspar quartz, mineral compensation for an empty womb my disappointment soothing as worn prayer beads it’s his I kneel before, water daily; the whetstone on which I sharpen my pain now there’s nothing left to believe just the scrat scrat of a wattlebird in the tree sky the colour of my favourite old jeans— I used to think that the world owed me. This prize is made possible with the support of the Malcolm Robertson Foundation Read the rest of Overland 246 If you enjoyed this piece, buy the issue Or subscribe and receive four brilliant issues for a year Lily Rupcic Lily Rupcic is a creative writer who lives with chronic pain and disability on Peramangk land. She is passionate about poetry as a vessel for unravelling and becoming; writing is her bridge between intensely isolating, personal experiences and the outside world, an opening through which the invisible can be seen. She is a runner-up in the 2021 Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize. More by Lily Rupcic › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays 9 February 202427 February 2024 · Prizes Final results of the 2023 Judith Wright Poetry Prize Editorial Team Established in 2007 and supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, the Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize seeks outstanding poetry from new and emerging writers. This year’s judges, Andy Jackson, Autumn Royal, Elena Gomez and Toby Fitch (who is also Overland’s poetry editor) read nearly 700 entries before selecting a shortlist of eight outstanding works. The judges then chose three unforgettable […] 2 February 20242 February 2024 · Judith Wright Poetry Prize Announcing the 2023 Judith Wright Poetry Prize shortlist Editorial Team Established in 2007, The Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize for new and emerging poets is supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation. Entrants must have no more than one collection of poems published under their own name. This year, the major prize is $6000, and second and third prizes are $2000 and $1000 respectively. All three […]
