Skip to main content

Poem of the week: Kraken by Tim Jones

You have probably guessed already that I am a bit of fan of sci fi poetry. The name of my blog, Torn Branches, is an obscure tribute to Hugh Mearn's Antigonish. So finding a sci fi poet who is both extremely talented and a Kiwi has got me a bit excited.

Tim Jones is a New Zealand author and an amazing poet. His work spans genres but is mostly focused on sci fi themes.

His poem ‘Kraken’ is an excellent example of the genre that he has shared on his own website.

I'll be heading into the city on the weekend and will be sure to pick up a copy of the Rhysling Anthology 2016 and his novella Landfall. I'll be sure to let you know what I think of both later in the coming weeks.

I will post a short excerpt to ‘Kraken’ below, but really suggest you follow this link to read it in full on Tim's own website as it is most certainly worth your time.

Kraken: by Tim Jones


Millennia of sunlight passed the Kraken by.

He slept where he had fallen, each molecule

bound up in water ice, kept safe by permafrost

or the pressure of the deep. Kraken lay

unmoved beneath the waves, deep in his dreams

of fire and air, while the ice sat heavy on the poles

and the clever, clever apes, fizzing with language,

trudged northwards out of Africa.


Tim Jones, 2016 Rhysling Anthology, edited by Charles Christian (Science Fiction Poetry Association, 2016)

Comments