Writing session in the Mortlock Wing State Library South Adelaide
Leni Shilton (Southern Cross University, Australia)
The space hushes the air
as books swallow echoes
and memories are held
as mysteries.
Dust-gauze filters the light,
timber chairs creak,
and each alcove huddles
one person.
I write, my pen scratching
as I wait for the eclipse point –
the moment when
writing about the thing stops
and the thing takes over.
I’ve been told
one word is better than none;
I write this across my page
again and again.
Leni Shilton has lived in Central Australia for many years where she has worked as a lecturer, a prison educator and a bush nurse. She is a poet, whose work is published in journals and anthologies, most recently Women’s Work, Art Monthly, Axon and TEXT. She is currently undertaking a PhD in creative writing through Southern Cross University.
