Jordyn Dwyer
I wish I could write the silences,
the echoes that cast
like shadows
in an empty room
with nothing but the metallics:
the crisp light, that licks
the cool tiles of a Queensland home.
Instead, I fill the silences,
it makes me uncomfortable
not to.
I raise my voice, fill the air
with the thick tongue,
of talk and anxiety.
It eases the tv static
that plays in my ears,
but does not save me from the others
who share the space where I stole away
the silence.
Their dead stares and pursed lips
urge me to trap the sound—my sound.
Unsteady on my feet,
I feel the guilt of my greed.
It leaves me with an aching
that feels almost void, as if I, myself,
were the emptiness of silence.
As if leaving room for silence
leaves room for me to slip through the cracks,
to fall, and merge with the nothingness of the
white walls,
dissipate with the steam of a hot shower,
to melt into the grout,
where my existence is all but the dampness
of a dark line.
Author: Based in Brisbane, Jordyn Dwyer (she/her) is an aspiring writer, currently studying Creative Writing through a Fine Arts degree at QUT. She is a deeply passionate and creative person, who has the dreams of becoming a published writer, as well as becoming a journalist for BBC Earth.
Artist: Sarah McLachlan is a third year Bachelor of Creative Writing student who likes to draw in her spare time. She wishes to combine both her art and writing skills to create a webcomic of her own one day, but she’s also open to illustrating for books and book covers. Sarah is also a major The Legend of Zelda fan and can be found drawing a lot of elves. You can find her at @hideriame02 on Instagram.
Editors: David Farr and Sara Reeves