“There is a moment between when you mention sexual abuse victims and when I speak my next words, where I decide my identity for this conversation.”
I Feel You
“I feel you in me / My insides do not twist / like they did when / I felt him …”
I Never Believed I Was in an Abusive Relationship
“I was a love-ridden fool. I thought he would never do it again. I was wrong. But I did not leave. The good times were too good to leave.”
Back Here.
“Then, I see your face and I no longer have any desire to fight for my next breath. Your touch burns my skin. I feel your fist against my cheekbone.”
A Letter to Survivors
“Seeing these words in his handwriting was the only truth that could have ever convinced me that I really was in an abusive relationship …”
Easter
“At my back the blade refracts. I feel the rush.”
X’s and O’s
“Not to mention the fact that, after months of regularly faking orgasms, it is slightly bizarre when you first mention you are aorgasmic.”
Feeding the Soul
“This recipe for couscous salad assisted me on my journey to regaining joy from food.”
Flipping the Script
“A recreational interest in ‘edgy’ or ‘kinky’ stuff never excuses abuse or assault, in the same way that punching a pro wrestler outside of the boxing ring is still a felony.”
Sexual Assault: A Letter About a Conversation We Need to Have
This is a letter to the students of ANU, to all activists, survivors and supporters, to all ANU staff, educators and residential college staff, and to the staff that hold fancy titles. This is to anyone who chooses to read this letter.