When I was younger I was obsessed with nature. The glint of sunlight kissing the top of a lake; the colour journey the leaves pass through every year; the whispers that travel on the wind, entwining themselves with strands of my hair. I would spend hours lying on the grass, gazing at the passing clouds, my fingertips dancing along the flower buds. I observed the seasons moving with glee, finding b...

It's amazing how little attention people pay to you when you're the quiet kid. How deeply you melt into the background, how quickly they forget your presence. Particularly when you're both the quiet and good kid. The kid who never screams for attention, lashes out, or sneaks around. Especially when you're the quiet, good kid in a large family of not-so-quiet, not-so-good kids, who all scream, lash...

You let out a contented sigh as you slide

your foot into the soft familiar skin

of your faded black boots. The leather creaks

as you settle into the sole, shoelaces dancing

around themselves as you loop them tightly,

once, then twice, cradling your ankle

in their familiar clutch.

These are not the first black boots

you have bought. You replace them every

few years, whenever your lopsided gai...

The dragons have been around for centuries. No one knows where they came from, though there are many tales about how they came to roam our lands. Some say that the great giant Echidna birthed the dragons with her fierce mate Typhon as a weapon against Zeus. Others say that when Apollo slayed the great Pytho of Delphi they sprung forth from her blood, damned to wander the earth in search of the god...

**content warning, CSA**

who are you?

that's not for me to know

I could never remember

your face, your voice

or your touch

nor the words you'd use

when happy, sad

or quietly ambivalent

it's not for me to know

your favourite colour

your special song

or your chosen film

if you prefer beer

wine, or whiskey

with just one ice cube

enough to cool the liquid

but not dilute the taste

when I was younge...

we met at a time

when our brains were still fresh

moulded by lectures and deadlines

filled with techniques and tricks of the trade

our art shaped by teachers and peers

thoughts overflowing with criticism

we met at a time

when we didn't know what we liked

much less who we were

stuck in the intermediate of

old enough to know better

young enough to not know how

we met at a time

when our boundaries ...

from the moment

I was born

I existed for you

your words were my holy book

every phrase was my truth

I believed you when you claimed

'making you took two

but you, child, are mine

and all I need is you'

we were two souls made one

I was filled with your woes

taking on each hardship

as if it were my own

but there was only so much

of you I could take

as I suffocated on your words

I could feel mysel...

being with you is easy

like floating in a warm pool

lying on a gentle lilo

cocktail in hand

the sun kissing my skin

not a care in the world

being with you is effortless

like dozing in bed

on a sunday morning

the scent of fresh coffee

wrapped in a soft duvet

with nothing to do

being with you is comforting

like returning home

after a long day

settling onto the couch

into the warm cocoon

of the h...

"Hey, man." I slide into the booth, smiling at my best friend sitting across from me. "How's tricks?"

"Pretty decent, can't complain. I got you a beer," he replies, sliding the bottle over to me. I grab it and grin. "Cheers!" We click bottles before both taking a sip and placing them back down in front of us.

"Thanks, man."

"No worries. So, what did you want to talk to me about?" I grin sheepishl...

you think you know hardship. you, with your blonde hair and your pale blue eyes that pierce into the soul of everyone that surrounds you. you, with your soft, unblemished skin, your peachy pink lips, and your low, caressing voice. you, with your mother and father who still begin each day with a gentle kiss, whose hands could never dream of raising against one another, nevermind bunching into a fis...