Jeni Curtis is a widely published Ōtautahi/Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand, writer. Her poem "come autumn" was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She was runner up in the Canterbury Poets' Collective John O'Connor first manuscript competition 2022. Her collection, stone men, was published in June 2023. She was highly commended in the Caselberg prize for her poem "the archaeology of home". She is currently an editor for Sudden Valley Press, based in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Jeni Curtis

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Leda takes a morning walk

swan's wings in the sunrise    the colour of fire
folded forward in muteness    with the power of an angel
she feels the grip and tug of desire

his neck snakes towards her    she knows no fear
or danger    an embrace holds her pinioned    nothing shameful
in the touch of his feathers    so soft and so near

willow boughs weep    in green shafts    to the water
their spearheaded leaves imply life can be painful
they droop    like a curtain    to shade what comes after