Says fellow poet Miles David Moore (The Bears of Paris and Buddaha Isn't Laughing), "“In these winsome, well-crafted sonnets, Jill Williams has fun with the form — even creating her own ingenious variation — yet remains sturdily true to the ancient music of the sonnet tradition. She takes nature seriously, yet has enough sense of irony to be witty, even cheeky, with it in a way both Emily Dickinson and Dorothy Parker might appreciate. Those who love formal poetry will find The Nature Sonnets refreshing and pleasing.”

Writing Samples:

Love’s Great Ebb And Flow

The dimpled waters mock my love for you,
As do the sand birds hopping down the beach.
For they know, sure as sunlight melts the dew,
That nothing stays forever within reach.
Not crocus buds, nor autumn's golden tone.
Nor winter's chilling winds that still benumb.
Life's only constant lies in change alone.
It's all we may expect of things to come.
There's little safety in a long embrace.
For all too soon those tender feelings fade.
And what we took to be our rightful place
Is somewhere at the back of the parade.
Yet as I dip my fingers in the sea,
I know I'll love you still. In memory.

Summer In The Tropics

It's brutal when the sunshine never stops
and flowers bloom relentlessly each day.
Monotony's much worse than racist cops

or converts always pushing you to pray.
And summer all the time?  Forget it, mac.
I'll take four seasons over one, okay?

The feel of raking leaves into a sack.
The sound that kindling makes, that subtle hiss.
The buds on trees when spring comes ambling back.

I wouldn't trade a tan for all of this.
Not even if I had a million bucks.
The world is full of pretty mouths to kiss!

I say too much of any one thing sucks.
In life (and lakes) you need both swans and ducks.

Monkey By A Restaurant In Mexico

What do you see out there, my restless one?
Those cold eyes fixed on land you'll never reach.
Best seize your solace stretching in the sun
For no one here will help you when you screech.
Or grunt. Or scratch. Or hungrily beseech.
The waiters have their customers to serve
And snorkel masks to vend along the beach.
You say the neck rope pinches? What a nerve!
Be still and suck away on this hors d’oeuvre.
Who cares about your jungle mom and dad.
Or how your spider tail has lost its curve.
This captive life is not so bloody bad.
Except when strangers gape and mock your plight.
... And stand too far away for you to bite.

Copyright © 2001 Jill Williams
Reprinted by permission of Gival Press, LLC.

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