Stephanie van Oudtshoorn (1 September 1986 / East London, South Africa)

this silence
crushing in on me
from all sides
it seems unimaginable
that the world could be so quiet
so at peace with itself

internally there is struggle
the sounds of war
of battle and unease

i can see the silence
washing over me
in thick coloured clouds
i can feel the threat
as it flows inside me
challenging

it wants to break out
to destroy the silence