Words by Jahin, 20 NSW
Welcome to the inside of my mind,
A mansion of memories, that sometimes feels hollow,
Cracks and curves,
Embellishing the nature that swirls around it.
Here you will find one of two things –
The joys and cheers of what it means to be human,
A fickle experience, one of age and lessons that shape the true meaning of growth.
And then there is the other side,
The dark of the moon as I like to call it,
An area that is so desolate that even light hesitates to cross into it, fearing the ghastly despair it may tread on top.
It is a collection of flashbacks that crinkle my human flesh, causing lines to unearth the soft skin I once radiated.
The air is colder from all the bad decisions that have tripped over one another,
Failed attempts, embarrassing moments, mocked mindsets,
A triad of disconsolate tragedies that tarnish the place I hold my thoughts.
Do not stay there for too long or else he will find you,
Whispering silent reminders of how emotions and vulnerability are for the weak.
He roams around with a lanky figure, opening old stories and refusing to close them without a bicker.
I abhorred him at first but the older I get the more I realise,
The man himself isn’t the issue, rather what he whispers defeats me.
To bottle up feelings and ‘man up’.
A deafening voice that will shatter me no more.
So, as I sit here under the chamber of my unbarred mind, I ask you one very last thing.
Would you like to join us?
Illustration by Aileen, You can find more of her work on Instagram @aileenetc
