Brett Firman
She never spoke
of growing up
in a nunnery
of dark hallways
cobwebs for drapes
of growing around
women
silent, tiptoeing
on the eggshells
of his commands
not even a whisper
in the moonlight
taking his crimes
to an early grave
She never spoke
of how her mother cried
by the garden sprinkler
watering the seedlings
with her burden
of separate bedrooms
and words unspoken
for weeks
except
pass the salt
She never spoke
of a time
She saw too much
a body dragging
up the stairs
of how he tore into her
claws through the flesh
sheep in whore’s clothing
sheep standing behind him
bleating in unison
her fault
She was grounded
her entire life
spent hiding among
mud
and aunties petunias
She never spoke
of how it was
treading lightly
tongueless, soulless
down tiled hallways
with silent sisters
eyes averted
the walking dead in pantyhose
***
Brett Firman is an emerging fiction writer and poet from Melbourne. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Monash University majoring in Creative Writing and is currently completing a Master’s Degree in Journalism. Brett is passionate about social justice, in particular gender equality and LGBTIQ rights. She has previously been published in Verge 2016: Futures for her political poem “Flowers of Nauru”. Brett is a strong believer in the cathartic nature of writing; therefore, she draws inspiration from lived experience and incorporates everyday speech into her writing.