This poem reflects on the lingering traces left behind by a beloved pet, and how even the most mundane reminders of them can be difficult to let go of. Inspired by the loss of a childhood feline friend and the moment of finding one of her hairs whilst tidying, it serves as an homage to all the furry companions who have been loved and lost.

I wrote this piece about one of my dearest friends: my creativity and desire to write. It’s one of my oldest and most loving relationships, even when I doubt it at times. Writing has always been an escape for me, and at other times, it has helped me when nothing else could.

A visual of a blue canvas with different coloured spots came to me one night before bed. I quickly wrote it down as a prompt for when I wanted to write, and this is what came of it.

A poem about the true fate of one of Shakespeare's most tragic heroines. Ophelia’s fate is not one of idle spinsterhood and cats, as a certain showgirl would say, but a fate many women know in some way, shape or form — a life dictated by the patriarchy, until it drives you to madness.

I was thinking about the film The Substance, and how, despite her phenomenal performance, Demi Moore did not win the award, while her younger co-star, Margaret Qualley, did. Many of the comments online pointed out how the film’s message was being proven in real time — and that’s when the first lines came to me.

The visual came to me, along with the blended poetic–prose form, as a way to represent parts of me that have broken off, changed, and warped.

This poem is my unfiltered look at the cycle of binge eating and self loathing. It begins with immediate guilt, descends into the deep-seated hatred that follows, and ends with the exhausting performance of trying to fix yourself until you feel completely erased. It reflects the painful gap between who you are and who you feel pressured to be.