Isla in Wonderland: Part 2

On the impending two-year anniversary of my move to Adelaide, I have endorsed the time to pause and reflect. As I write these words, my life is not surrounded by a white picket fence, however, the season has changed and it is sweeter. Isla in Wonderland: Part 1* will forever remain a poignant reminder of the past – of a time where duty was not always honoured, and where the pangs of longing were maddening. In the face of hopelessness, I fought on; and against harsh odds, I survived. The times tried my soul, but I overcame. I rose from the ashes, and became a creature of change. I expanded my perception, and surged forward. In the rising of the sun, I became a game changer – a force not to be reckoned with.

In this season, I am the orchestrator. I live in a realm where armour is not rewarded, and fate is not measured in ‘deserves’. I live in a realm where closure does not mean re-opening the door to toxicity; where love abandons the shores, and meets me in the depths. I live in a realm engulfed by the sound of wind chimes, where mistletoes hang from every corner of my home. I live in a realm where stars fall from heaven, and the treasures I seek elsewhere are found on my doorstep. In this season, I stand in defiance. I am my own muse, and my scars are my medals. I am intimate, fierce, and serene.

The battle between good and evil never ends. You can still find me in the dark corners of life, in the in-between space of slumber and awakening. I still sleep with ghosts in my bed, but I am no relic of the past. I am still very much alive.

*Isla in Wonderland: Part 1 is featured in Verse Magazine, Edition 28.

Words by Isla

Photography by Mary Harsha

This piece was originally published in Edition 29.