Language here will languish.
Words will bear new meaning;
falling limp from a tarnished tongue
as their histories are lost.
Befalling ears that cannot hear.
Rusted crimson tracks
of skin and memory
spiral down the porcelain sink
Dressing the drain
in hues of clarity.
Pupils dilate and fists clench.
Eyelids crush their bodies together
like quarrelling lovers.
Blinded and Burning.
Revelling in the quiet sigh
of a touch forbidden.
Corrupted lungs writhe
in obligation.
Clinging. Clawing.
Sated in suffocation
And nailed to the wall.
Body contorts in its retrospect.
Seeking relief.
Takes to the floor
and comes undone.
About the author
Jes’Se Rushby is a Wiradjuri woman from central-west NSW. She studies Law and people and pretends to know what she’s doing. You can follow her on Instagram at @jesrushby.