I am the sun, but I am also the moon,
I am the ruler of this broken kingdom
where there are ever lurking shadows
taunting “you will always be this way”

Two halves in a marriage of contradiction,
yet there is not one without the other,
and wouldn’t a true unity be sweeter
than two sides at constant war

Twisting tides in the pit of my stomach,
ebbing and flowing until time stands still
and I become immensely aware of this conflict
waiting to spill out as i’m torn apart

You’ll do no better than to hibernate
from the cold winds of the harshest winters,
and perhaps I could build the strongest fortress
but what good would that do in the end

At the end of the day they are both who I am,
and all I can do is let the two live in harmony.
So I shall balance both weights on my shoulders
and learn to cherish them for what they are

do you hear that?
the haunting cries for hope,
for understanding, for change,
formed by the mouths of women
from times past and present,
pleas for a different future,
one not built on power and hate,  
one where they’re not told what to do
or told they’re not good enough

do you hear the years of sadness and rage,
for themselves and their peers,
years spent crumbling under the pressure.
do you hear the pleas of the little girl
a girl, set a path she did not want to follow,
but forced to do it anyway

do you hear how tired they are
of being used and ignored,
just wanting to speak and be heard,
a space for growing and healing.
choosing to live, to make a difference
to bring light to the darkness
to provide a way forward for others too

There’s a comfort in the darkness,
an escape,
guided by the gentle glow of stars,
the night sky, a blanket

Are they ever scared?
Or is it just relief,
anything to not face the light
afraid of what it would hold

For it should not be the darkness we’re afraid
but the brightness of morn
where the monsters are freely roaming
whilst licking their lips

And whilst it is cold
it is welcome
compared to the harsh heat
of what may find us come morning

I put an orange on the table,
slowly peeled away the skin,
invited you to take a segment
then another, and another.
Before I know it, it’s dark outside
and the orange is gone
but you’re not,
you’re still here.
The peel sat between us
dimpled and bright

I have until I had nothing left
Cried until I was drowning
Exhausted, one with the floor

All you do is take,
rip me apart
until i’m too numb to care

Always one step ahead
planning the next attack
so i’m blindsided by your actions

After every fire set in my head
and storm released in my head
I am broken

Even now when i’m just a shadow
you take and take
everything that should be mine

Things come to an end,
turning the last page of the book,
the sun sets beyond the horizon,
or when you close your eyes at night

Leaves behind empty spaces
Cold silences
A lonely darkness
This uncomfortable feeling

It’s something you have to own
because you will say goodbye
time and time again
but it doesn’t hurt less

Back and forth
like we’re playing tennis
I hit the hall
and you slam it back

We exist on different roads
that never join in the middle
Instead get further and further away
until we’re opposite sides of this world

I could scream my thoughts
and they would fall to the ground
Whilst yours float to the sky,
gone above the clouds